Through Ash and Mist
by BigBadWolfTardis
Summary: What if Misty hadn't received that phone call until after she was already in the Hoenn region? What if because of that, she instead stayed with Ash and they continued on the journey together? In the new land of Hoenn, Misty meets new friends, catches new pokemon, and continues on her quest to become a Water Pokemon Master.
1. Gotta Catch Ya Later - Part 1

**Hi everyone : ) I know - I'm awful for not updating this story in so long, but I do have some fairly good reasons. I've been planning some fairly major new projects - I've had a tonne of family stuff going on - and I had a SERIOUS case of writer's block with this story, which was so bad that it even spilled over onto all my other existing stories, and pretty much caused me to stop writing all together for months, despite trying my best to get back into it : )**

 **I knew what it was I wanted to write, but there were just so many ideas that I wanted to include in this story that logically needed to be in there right from the start - which is why I have come to the decision to rewrite this story : )**

 **Hear me out : ) I wasn't upset with what I originally wrote. This is probably my favourite story and I'm proud of it. But I can and will make it better. I've got new ideas that I'm looking forward to including earlier on this time around, and I believe that by doing this, I can finally get rid of my writer's block and get back to updating regularly again - although at this moment, I'm not promising any sort of schedule.**

 **So I'm hoping you'll all stick with me for a little bit longer until I get this story back to the point it was once at : )**

 **Anyway, I'm sorry for the massive delay and for messing you all around, but it wasn't an easy decision to make, rewriting this whole thing, and it was even harder getting time to start on it.**

 **Please remember that Pokemon is not mine, and I hope you enjoy this rewrite of my story, and this chapter : )**

* * *

 **Through Ash and Mist**

* * *

 **Gotta Catch Ya Later**

* * *

 **Gotta Catch Ya Later - Part 1**

* * *

Misty Waterflower grinned as she looked down at the beautiful little town that was Viridian City. She was stood on a high earthy ledge at the edge of a forest, her eyes raking over the city; refamiliarising herself with its details as fond memories of her previous visits to this particular town flashed through her mind. The memories only served to widen her smile.

Flanking her on either side stood Misty's two best friends; Ash Ketchum and Brock Slate. They had grins just as bright as Misty's plastered all over their faces too.

As a soothing breeze played through her orange locks, Misty breathed deeply, taking a refreshing gulp of Kanto air. It had been an awfully long time since they'd been back in their homeland. It felt good to be close to home again.

The trio - along with their pokemon - had just spent the past year travelling though the Johto region, but now that the Silver Conference was over, it was time for them to start afresh, with just a quick pit-stop at home along the way.

"You can see the city from here" Ash observed, smiling.

Ash, like Misty, was very fond of this city. It was where they had first started travelling together, all that time ago. Misty smiled just thinking about it. They had both been very different people back then. Thankfully they had both grown into more mature versions of themselves.

"Pika!" Ash's faithful partner, Pikachu, squeaked from his shoulder.

"And there's the Pokemon Centre" Misty added, her emerald eyes honing in on the building that held so much sentimental significance for her and Ash.

"Toge" Misty's infant pokemon, Togepi, chirped from her arms.

"Well come on then!" Brock whooped enthusiastically, "What are we waiting for?!"

Misty visibly cringed, already knowing what was coming next.

"Oh, oh, Nurse Joy - Here I come!" Brock continued eagerly.

Misty rolled her eyes in annoyance. It was SO embarrassing to see him make a fool of himself every time he clapped eyes on a pretty girl.

"Gotta admit, he IS consistent" the redhead huffed, irritated.

Togepi giggled at the familiar situation.

"I can't wait anymore!" Brock suddenly announced, and before either Ash or Misty could get a word in edgeways, he took off running in the direction of the city, waving his arms like a lunatic and yelling out for his beloved Nurse Joy.

Misty glanced at Ash, and saw her own exasperation mirrored in his expression.

"Well, I guess we'd better go stop him before he gets arrested by Officer Jenny" Ash sighed tiredly.

"You're kidding right?" Misty scoffed in amusement, "He'd probably enjoy it".

They both sniggered, before turning their focus back onto the city.

"Last one there's a rotten Exeggcute!" Ash playfully challenged before he bolted after Brock.

"Hey! No fair!" Misty laughed before setting off after him.

Running as fast as her legs could carry her, Misty couldn't help but grin as she thought about how great her friends were, and how much she loved travelling with them.

This was just the way her life was meant to be.

* * *

"Ha! Beat ya Slowpoke!" Ash laughed as he grinded to a halt just outside of the Pokemon Centre.

Misty, who had only lost their little race by a yard or two, playfully huffed as she reached him.

"There's no shame in being a Slowpoke" Misty effortlessly returned, "Quite frankly I'd love the opportunity to train one".

Ash grinned, having expected that sort of answer from the water-type fanatic.

"So..." Ash turned to eye the doors, "How far up the Idiot-Scale do you think Brock's reach this time?"

"Well" Misty pretended to rub her chin like she was in deep thought, "He's had - what? Four or five minutes? Most likely a solid seven, possibly an eight".

Ash, Pikachu, and even little Togepi all laughed.

"Best go save Nurse Joy then" Ash grinned.

They headed through the glass automatic doors, into the Pokemon Centre.

Misty's eyes immediately scanned the room, and it wasn't long before they settled on Brock, standing before a very flustered and confused Nurse Joy, trying to chat her up.

Huffing like an angry Tauros, Misty swiftly made her way over to her dorky friend, ready to drag him off by his ear.

She quickly found that she didn't need to bother though.

"Let me introduce myself" Brock was saying as his friends approached from behind, "The name's Brock. Do you believe in love at first sight? Or should I walk past you again?"

"Err..." was Nurse Joy's bewildered response.

Brock got right up in the nurse's face, grinning like a Persian that got the cream.

"Smell my fresh breath Nurse Joy" he said eagerly, "It's as sweet as you are".

Misty growled, embarrassed by her friend's behaviour, but Nurse Joy had a response that stopped Misty from acting.

"You might want a mint".

Brock's face fell dramatically. He sagged to his knees and curled in on himself, no doubt sulking about being shot down.

Misty couldn't help the laugh that escaped her. That had been simply _priceless_.

Sensing that Brock's little pantomime had just ended, Ash and Misty stepped forwards, and Nurse Joy turned her attention onto them.

"Hi, Nurse Joy" Ash greeted, "My name's Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town. Do you remember me?" he asked, thinking back to a particularly disastrous visit he'd made to this specific Pokemon Centre.

"Pika" Pikachu squealed excitedly.

"I'm sorry Ash" Nurse Joy apologised, shaking her head, "But this is my first week working at this Pokemon Centre".

Ash looked a little disappointed, and Misty felt the same. She had hoped to inquire about the reconstruction of the Pokemon Centre and who better to ask than the nurse who'd survived through its destruction?

"But I did hear about you from the Joy who was here before me" she informed them, brightening their spirits, "And if you're Ash... then that would make you, Misty?" she turned to a slightly surprised Misty.

"That's me" the redhead confirmed with a smile, "It's nice to meet you".

"It's nice to meet you too" Nurse Joy beamed, "I was very impressed when I heard about the two of you standing up to those thieves that attacked this centre. It's nice to know there are people that care so much about pokemon, particularly sick or injured ones".

"Aw, it was no trouble" Ash smiled modestly.

"We were happy to help" Misty added cheerfully.

"Please, if there's anything I can do to thank you whilst you're here, just let me know" Nurse Joy said.

"Well, it would be great if you could give our pokemon a quick check-up" Ash said.

"Sure" Nurse Joy smiled and nodded, "I'd be happy to do that for you guys".

"Thanks" Ash and Misty said together.

They quickly set Pikachu and Togepi down on the counter, and whilst Ash was busy plucking his pokeballs off his belt, Misty retrieved hers from her backpack. They handed them over to Nurse Joy.

Brock, who had finally stopped sulking and was back in his right mind at long last, also handed his pokeballs to the nurse.

"I'll try to get these back to you as soon as I can" Nurse Joy promised, "But until then, why don't you guys go get some lunch in the cafeteria? It's through the double doors, straight on to the end of the corridor, it's the last door on the right".

"Sounds good to me" Ash cheered, "I'm starving".

"Me too" Misty agreed.

"Plus, it'll give us a chance to sit and hang out" Brock said.

Misty and Ash turned to him, somewhat confused by that slightly random remark. Noticing their expressions, he elaborated.

"There's something I've been wanting to talk to you two about for a few days now, so I guess this is a good opportunity to do so" Brock said.

Offering no more words of explanation, Brock headed off into the centre, following the directions Nurse Joy had given them.

Ash and Misty exchanged intrigued glances, before following after their friend.

Just what was he up to this time?

* * *

Misty, Ash and Brock had easily located the cafeteria, and once they had placed their lunch orders with the centre's Chansey, they each took a seat at one of the tables.

It was only once the pink pokemon had brought over their food and they started eating did they start their conversation.

"So Brock" Ash said around a mouthful of food, "What did you want to talk to us about?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full" Brock gently scolded.

Misty noticed that Brock seemed a bit nervous. He wasn't eating his food, instead opting to simply play with it with his fork.

Brock bit his lip, seemingly thinking about how to word what it was he wanted to say.

"Come on Brock" Ash whined, oblivious as ever, "Don't leave us hanging".

"Well... okay" Brock sighed, and Misty suddenly felt very unsettled, "I really hope that neither of you get upset with me for not telling you sooner, but a few weeks ago, I got an email from my younger brother".

"Which one?" Misty asked, unable to see why such a thing would upset her or Ash.

"Forrest" Brock replied, "His tenth birthday is in a couple of days, and that means that he'll be old enough to start training pokemon".

"Okay..." Ash said slowly, confused as to what this had to do with him and Misty, and why Brock seemed kind of down about it.

"He's decided that he wants to specialise in rock-type pokemon, but he's nervous about setting out on a journey all by himself" Brock explained, "So my parents offered him an alternative option".

"And what's that?" Misty asked warily, having a sinking feeling that she wasn't going to like the answer.

"That he gets his starter pokemon, and takes over the role of the Pewter City Gym leader" Brock explained, before adding with a frown, "Under the guidance of a mentor - someone with experience with training rock-type pokemon and running a gym".

Due to them both being surprised by the idea of a complete novice trainer being put in charge of a gym right away, neither Ash nor Misty immediately realised exactly what Brock was trying to tell them.

After a few seconds of silence however, the penny dropped for Misty.

"You?" she murmured, shocked.

"Me" Brock agreed grimly, "It would mean going back home to Pewter City, and training with Forrest for several weeks, or even months, until he is capable of running the gym by himself".

Both Misty and Ash were silent as they let that sink in.

Misty really didn't know what to think. On the one hand, she tried to understand Brock's position. She knew that if one of her sisters needed that kind of help, she'd do whatever she could to assist them. And being the elder sibling, Misty knew that Brock had to feel that desire to help his brother all the more strongly.

But on the other - slightly more selfish - hand, all she could feel was her heart clenching in pain at the thought of saying goodbye to one of her closest and dearest friends.

Back when they had said goodbye to each other in the Orange Islands, it hadn't really hit Misty just how hard it would be to leave Brock behind until after he was already gone - but this time she knew what to expect.

She knew how painful it would be, and how much both she and Ash would miss him.

"Are you going to go?" Ash croaked, and by the trembling of his voice, Misty could tell his thoughts had gone to the same dark place her's had.

Brock sighed tiredly, running a hand down his face. He suddenly seemed much older than he actually was.

"I have too" he eventually said, "You both know that I became a gym leader when I was Forrest's age. You know what that's like too Misty, you know how much of a responsibility it is. If someone had told me how hard it would be, or had offered me a helping hand back then, I'd have grabbed it with both hands".

Misty let out a sigh. Like Brock said, she knew that truth only too well.

"But what about your parents?" Misty couldn't help but ask, "Your father? He's just as experienced at running a gym".

Brock let out a hollow laugh.

"My father is the last person that should act as anybody's mentor" Brock scoffed, tone laced with bitterness, "He's not a role model to look up too. Plus him and Forrest still have issues over... well, let's just say my dad's a poor choice".

Misty felt a stab of pity for her friend. She knew that Flint's abandonment of his family all those years ago had scarred Brock and all his siblings. It seemed that the man's return three years prior hadn't been enough to heal them.

A heavy silence fell between them.

"When did you decide to do this?" Ash asked suddenly.

"Not long before the Silver Conference" Brock sighed again, "I didn't say anything because I didn't want to distract you, Ash, from the tournament, and I didn't tell you Misty, because it felt wrong not telling you both together".

Again, silence fell. There suddenly seemed to be an awkward tension hanging over the trio.

"Look" Brock eventually said, _needing_ them to understand, "I don't want you guys thinking this was an easy decision to make. Trust me, it wasn't. I've spent weeks thinking about this, but at the end of the day, Forrest is my little brother, and he needs me. I know it'll be painful to say goodbye and not be together every day anymore - but please try to understand. This is just something I have to do".

Misty could hear the pain in his voice. He didn't want to lose them any more than they wanted to lose him.

"You're absolutely right" she said, suddenly breaking the silence.

Both boys looked at her.

"Forrest needs you more than Ash and I do" she continued, "If I was in your position and my sisters needed help, I'd do exactly the same thing".

She genuinely meant that too.

Brock smiled at her, relieved by her words, before turning to focus on Ash as he awaited the other boy's reaction.

"Well..." the raven-haired boy said slowly, "If this is something you feel you have to do, then of course I'll support your decision. It's just going to be so weird, not having you around. I'm gonna miss you buddy".

"I'll miss you too" Misty added with a small, sad smile.

"And I'm going to miss the two of you a lot as well" Brock admitted truthfully, "But I really do have to do this. Thank you for being so understanding about this guys. You two are the best friends I could ever ask for".

The trio exchanged smiles, the awkwardness gone again.

Now all that remained was the fact that they were all painfully aware of their time together drawing to a close. After all, this development meant that when they left Viridian City, Ash and Misty would be heading south to Pallet Town, and Brock north to Pewter City.

This was going to be their last day together as travelling companions.

Misty's eyes stung with tears she refused to let drop, so swallowing back said tears, she turned her eyes back onto her food - which had been completely ignored during their conversation.

She suddenly realised however that she no longer had any desire to eat it.

"You know what? Why don't we forget about a healthy lunch today?" she suggested, setting down her knife and fork again, "If this is going to be our last day together, we should do something fun, like... um... oh! We could go for ice cream".

That immediately brightened the boys' dampened spirits.

"That's a great idea Misty" Ash cheered.

"I'm in" Brock agreed, "And I'll buy them. It'll be a goodbye treat from me".

"You don't have to do that Brock" Misty quickly assured him.

"I _want_ to" was his simple response.

* * *

Half an hour later; Misty, Ash and Brock had left the Pokemon Centre - after retrieving their pokemon from Nurse Joy, who had been delighted to inform them that all their pokemon were in excellent condition - and they were now sitting at a table outside of one of Viridian City's most popular ice cream parlours.

Each of them had a large bowl of ice cream before them; Strawberry Truffle for Misty, Chocolate and Vanilla for Ash, and Caramel for Brock. Pikachu and Togepi also had a small cone each - theirs being the strictly 'Pokemon safe' variety of ice cream.

They were all digging in, all of them glad for the distraction.

Sadly though, it was only a matter of time before the subject of their imminent separation was brought up, and once again it was Brock who broached the topic.

"So" he started conversationally, "What are you two gonna do after I go back home?"

Misty paused to think.

Truth be told, she hadn't really given her next move much thought. She definitely planned on sticking with Ash, though that was pretty much a given. They were a team, and a damn good one at that.

"Well..." Ash swallowed his mouthful of ice cream, snapping Misty back to earth, "First of all I'm heading back to Pallet Town. I promised my Mom I'd go visit before heading anywhere else after the Silver Conference. After that... well, we'll see how things go".

"Sounds good" Brock nodded in approval, before turning to Misty, "What about you Misty?"

Misty shrugged, face thoughtful.

"For now I think I'm just gonna stick with Ash" she said, before turning to the boy in question, "If that's okay?" she added uncertainly.

"Of course it is!" Ash cried, shocked she even needed to ask, "You know you're always welcome at my house".

Misty beamed, and was about to reply, but was cut off as a new voice broke into their conversation.

"Aw... isn't that _sweet_?" a particularly nasally voice drawled sarcastically.

Caught completely off guard; Ash, Misty and Brock all turned at the same time to look in the direction the voice had originated from.

Sitting at the table next to theirs were three teenage boyrs. One of them - the shortest, even sitting down - had a somewhat pinched face and reddish-brown hair fashioned into spikes. Sitting on his left was an extremely tall boy that was built like a pencil. His hair was cyan blue and slicked back. Finally, the boy sitting on the right was rather fat and had a surprisingly round head, upon which his dark brown hair was styled into a god-awful bowl-cut.

All three of them wore the same ugly purple uniform, and they were leering at Ash, Misty and Brock unpleasantly.

Misty scrunched up her nose in distain. Those three practically _reeked_ of trouble.

"The little runt's got himself a girlfriend" the boy in the middle, the one with the nasally voice, cackled gleefully.

"Who are you calling a runt?!" Ash growled, insulted.

"I'm _not_ his girlfriend!" Misty yelled at the same time, blushing with embarrassment.

"Yeah?" the blue-haired boy scoffed, "Well that open-invitation into his bedroom tells another story, girly".

"It... I... what?!" Misty squawked, offended, "It wasn't an invitation into his _bedroom_! It was to his house!"

"And it's really none of your business anyway" Brock stated coldly, eyeing the other trio with dislike.

"Oho!" the fat boy chortled, his voice particularly gormless-sounding, "Touched a nerve, have we?"

By now Misty, Ash and Brock were all getting angry, though Misty was definitely the angriest if her reddening face and stiff posture were any indication. She was sorely tempted to bring out her mallet and teach them a lesson they wouldn't forget any time soon.

"Just who are you guys anyway?!" Ash demanded, angry about what they were implying about his and Misty's friendship, and upset that they were ruining Brock's last day with them.

"I thought you'd never ask" the boy in the middle laughed mockingly.

As one, the three boys leapt out of their seats.

"I'm Viridian City's Number One Pokemon Trainer! the boy with the nasally voice struck a ridiculous and dramatic pose, "Kim!"

"I'm Number Two!" the blue haired boy announced smugly, before striking an equally stupid-looking pose, "Kael!"

"And I'm Number Three!" the fat, gormless boy smirked, taking on a dorky pose of his own, "Kai!"

"We're the Invincible Pokemon Brothers!" the trio loudly declared together.

Misty couldn't even try to refrain from rolling her eyes.

These three clowns clearly thought they looked very impressive. Misty on the other hand thought they were actually creating a new level of the word 'pathetic'.

"Really? You're invisible?" Ash drawled sarcastically, deliberately getting their name wrong, "They why don't you all just disappear?!"

Misty and Brock both snorted in amusement.

Pikachu and Togepi both chuckled.

Rather than being disgruntled by the taunt however, the three weirdos just continued to smile their absolutely-infuriating smiles.

"No" Kim said slowly, as if he was talking to some sort of halfwit, "We said _invincible_ ".

"Yeah?" Ash growled, narrowing his eyes, "Then how about we put that to the test?"

"Is that a challenge?" Kael asked, grinning widely.

"You bet it is" Ash glared heatedly, "I say we battle right now".

"You're in WAY over your head, Runt" Kai laughed a laugh that sounded even more dim-witted than his voice, "But the Invincible Pokemon Brothers never turn down a challenge".

"Then you accept?" Ash wanted to be sure.

"Absolutely" Kim smirked unpleasantly at him, "And I know _just_ where we can have our match".

Misty scowled, annoyed that this was happening whilst they were supposed to be having some fun with Brock before he left, but she also knew that these losers weren't going to leave them alone until they were made to.

Although, watching Ash wipe the floor with Kim _could_ be fun to watch, she supposed.

Misty, Ash, and Brock all stood up from their deats - Pikachu and Togepi mirroring them - and they all started following the Invincible Pokemon Brothers to where the battle would be held.

None of them had any idea about the trap they had just fallen into.

* * *

The Invincible Pokémon Brothers led Misty, Ash and Brock to a quiet little park close to the centre of the city. Misty had never noticed it before on any of her previous visits to Viridian City, but she had never really explored it much, so she wasn't so surprised about that.

The Invincible Pokemon Brothers led them through the park to a spot were a battle-field had been marked out, and luckily, nobody was currently using it, so Ash and Kim quickly took their places at opposite ends of the field.

Misty and Brock stood behind Ash to watch the match.

Kael and Kai did the same on Kim's side.

Kim was smirking patronisingly at Ash, who in turn narrowed his eyes, determined to win this and show those _creeps_ up.

Misty was confident that Ash was a strong enough trainer to win this. She just hoped that the other trio would leave her and her friends alone once Ash had served Kim's butt to him on a silver platter.

"We'll fight one-on-one" Kim announced.

"That's fine with me" Ash grunted, eager to get on with it.

"For my Pokemon - I choose Hitmonchan!" Kim cried, throwing a pokeball.

The pokeball opened, and a Hitmonchan materialised on the field before them.

"Hitmonchan" the fighting-type grunted, flexing his muscles menacingly.

Misty would never claim to be any sort of expert on fighting-type pokemon, but she didn't think it looked particularly strong for his breed. She'd seen stronger Hitmonchan, which meant that Ash wasn't likely to have too much trouble defeating him.

"And for my pokemon - I choose Pikachu!" Ash yelled.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried as he leapt off Ash's shoulder, and landed on all-fours on the battle field, opposite Hitmonchan.

Ash - eager to get this over with so he could get back to enjoying his last day with him and his friends being a trio - didn't even offer Kim the first move, and swiftly ordered an attack.

"Use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu leapt forwards, sparks flickering around the electric sacks in his red cheeks. An aura of crackling yellow lightning surrounded the rodent, and with a loud cry, Pikachu unleased the Thunderbolt.

Hitmonchan tried to dodge the attack by leaping out of the way, but unfortunately Pikachu's Thunderbolt was faster, striking him before he could escape and causing him to shriek in pain.

When the attack finished, Hitmonchan collapsed to one knee, gasping for breath.

Kim's jaw dropped.

"Huh?! Hitmonchan!" he gasped in horror.

"Looks like you aren't quite so invincible anymore, huh Kim?" Ash smirked, not trying very hard not to sound too smug.

Kim rounded on the raven-haired boy, furious at his taunting.

"Oh yeah?!" he snarled, his eyes as cold as ice, "Why don't you try _this_ on for size, Runt!"

Behind him, Kael and Kai reared back their arms, and in perfect synch hurled a pokeball a piece of their own. Ash's eyes widened in horror as two more fighting types, a Hitmonlee belonging to Kael and a Hitmontop belonging to Kai, appeared on the field.

Pikachu gasped and looked about in fear as the three fighting types formed a triangle around him. The poor yellow pokemon didn't know which one to keep his eyes on.

"Chan" Hitmonchan growled angrily.

"Lee" Hitmonlee narrowed his eyes.

"Top" Hitmontop smirked nastily.

"Pika..." Pikachu gulped nervously, eyes flicking between all three of them, "Pikachu".

"You cheat!" Ash yelled at a smirking Kim, "How am I supposed to battle you one-on-three?!"

"You won't have too..." a voice said behind him.

Turning, Ash saw Misty marching forwards until she was stood at his side on his half of the field. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turning, Ash saw Brock standing by his other side.

"Because me and Politoed are going to make it two-on-three" Misty continued, pulling a pokeball from her backpack.

"And I'm gonna make it three-on-three" Brock added, also pulling out a pokeball.

"GO!" Misty and Brock yelled together, throwing their pokeballs.

On Pikachu's left appeared Misty's Politoed - the frog pokemon clapping his hands together in his usual cheerful manner - whilst on Pikachu's right, Brock's Forretress appeared, ready for battle.

"It's all fair now Ash" Misty smiled at her best friend.

Ash couldn't help but smile back. That was just like Misty and Brock. No matter how dangerous or dire the situation, they always had his back. They truly were the best friends anyone could ever have.

"Thanks Misty" he smiled warmly, eyes grateful, "Thanks Brock".

"As touching as your little mutual appreciation moment is, we're in the middle of something here" Kim cut in snidely.

"And it really doesn't matter that you've brought out two more pokemon" Kai laughed.

"As far as we're concerned, the more the merrier" Kael said smugly, clearly thinking he and his brothers still had the advantage.

Ash took a step forwards, wanting to smack the stupid smirk off his face, but he forced himself to stop. A fist-fight wasn't the way to resolve this.

"So, it's a three-on-three battle now, huh?" he grinned, turning to his trusty partner, "Go Pikachu! Thunderbolt again!"

Pikachu lunged forwards and unleashed another Thunderbolt, this time scoring a direct hit on Hitmontop who screeched as the electricity tore through his body.

"Forretress! Rapid Spin!" Brock yelled.

Forretress, without any hesitation, began spinning until he was just a blur. Like a cannonball, he shot towards Hitmonlee and barrelled into him, causing him to yell in agony as he was sent hurtling backwards.

"Politoed! Use your Water Gun!" Misty cried.

Politoed stopped clapping and lost his cheerful smile, instead taking on a determined and focused expression. The green pokemon swallowed in a gulp of air, then promptly spat out a jet of swirling water from his mouth, hitting Hitmonchan directly in the chest and knocking him backwards. He landed on his back, and struggled to get back up.

"Let's finish this all together!" Ash suggested, Misty and Brock nodding their agreement.

"Chu!" Pikachu leapt forwards to attack again.

"Tress!" Forretress spun through the air, positioning himself to strike again.

"Toed!" Politoed prepared himself for another Water Gun attack.

The three pokemon unleashed their attacks at the same time, the force strong enough to fling Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, and Hitmontop backwards towards their trainers. The three fighting-types were still conscious, but they were in no shape to continue battling.

"OOOHHHHH!" the Invincible Pokémon Brothers all wailed in despair, and Misty couldn't help the wave of satisfaction that blazed through her heart at the sound.

"Maybe now you understand what it truly means to have friends!" Misty snapped at them.

"You said it Misty" Ash grinned at her and Misty returned the smile.

Before she could say a word though - and she had plenty of things she wanted to say to him in that second - the moment was shattered by a startlingly loud BANG!

Spinning around, Misty, Ash and Brock, as well as their pokemon, all saw a large football net spring up from the ground behind them. Another goal also appeared behind the Invincible Pokémon Brothers, surprising them all.

Where had those come from?

Before anyone could register what was going on, the two goals started speeding forwards, and everyone yelled out in horrified shock as the two nets slammed together, trapping the six humans and seven pokemon, Togepi being included in that number, inside.

Misty's heart raced in panic, and she tried desperately hard not to lose her head. She knew that would only make matters worse.

One question was playing on repeat in her mind though.

What on earth was going on _now_?!

* * *

 **And there's the first chapter.**

 **Now, as you can see - Misty did not receive that fated phone call. She is going to receive it, but things will go down a little differently to both the original version of this story and canon.**

 **Secondly, I wanted to give Brock a real reason to return home. In the anime, it felt almost like an afterthought, Brock leaving. He didn't get any of the emotion that Misty got, so I wanted to change that. I hope it worked : ) He'll be back, but for now I need him out of the way, and helping out his brother is a good enough reason in my book. Plus, it kind of mirrors what canon had happen in this episode too : )**

 **Now, there's some changes to the way I'm going to be handling this story that I think you guys should know about.**

 **First of all, I've decided that I'm going to be splitting the episodes up into three chapters instead of two. I think that once I've got everything properly sorted out, it'll be easier to get updates out to you guys if the chapters are slightly shorter but more frequent : )**

 **Secondly, I don't think I'm going to be replying to reviews in the chapters anymore. I'll still reply via PM, but the amount of time it takes to reply to everyone, collaborating it into a chapter, and then proof reading it could be better spent writing content to post to you guys. Also, I've spent months thinking up new ideas, so what I told you guys in my original replies might not necessarily be true anymore : )**

 **And finally, the game. For those who are new to this story, I play a guess with the readers in which I post a paragraph about a pokemon and the readers try to guess which one it is in reviews. I then post who got it right in the following chapter : )**

 **For my older readers - Fear not! I love the game and I'm not getting rid of it, but since I'm going to be reposting the entire story - if I do different 'Who's that Pokemon's' than what I did originally, the reviews aren't going to match up, and then it's going to be practically impossible for me to track who got it right and who didn't.**

 **Due to this, I've decided to keep the first 22 (since we got up to chapter 22 originally) 'Who's that Pokemon's' the same as they were originally, so people can play again if they want too, but they don't have too. When we get to chapter 23, then the new ones will start again : )**

 **Anyway, I apologise once again for the long delay, but know this. I never gave up on this story and I was always trying hard to find ways of avoiding doing this rewrite, but in the end this simply is the best way of getting what I want out of this story : )**

 **And now onto the game : )**

 **WHO's THAT POKEMON?**

 **This pokemon eats iron and is covered in a thick armour-like hide. It is capable of living in molten lava, and it's impressive horn an crush even an uncut diamond. Originally it walked on four legs but now it can walk on two. It has already evolved once and is capable of doing so again.**

 **Like I said - I've kept this one the same as the original chapter one, but everyone is more than welcome to play again - just avoid looking at the reviews if you don't want to know the answer before guessing : )**

 **And I think that's everything.**

 **I'm sorry if starting afresh upsets people but I really do think this is the best, and realistically, the _only_ way of getting the best out of this story : ) Also, I'll try to be much, MUCH quicker with the next update. Trust me, I want this project up and running again just as much as you do : )**

 **Thank you all for your continued support and patience - you're all amazing : )**

 **Until the next time, keep on reading : )**


	2. Gotta Catch Ya Later - Part 2

**Hi guys : ) Thank you all for your kind words of support and encouragement. I know that after such a long absence, starting afresh wasn't what many of you hoped for, so I'd like to thank everyone for being so understanding.**

 **Unfortunately, I still can't promise you guys steady updates again, not yet at least - but I really wanted to get this chapter up for you guys since you are all so amazing in the support you've shown this story. It's also a little longer than I was planning, but hey ho : )**

 **I'm not completely happy with the way this turned out, but I suppose it does it's job and there's nothing I can think of that I want to change.**

 **Anyway, please remember that Pokemon is not mine, and I hope you enjoy this chapter : )**

* * *

 **Gotta Catch Ya Later - Part 2**

* * *

A chorus of familiar evil cackling filled the air, and Misty felt her heart plummet.

Of _course._

Why hadn't it occurred to her sooner?

Of course it was _those_ three pests. But just why did they have to turn up _now_ of all times?

They did have a knack for turning up at the most inconvenient of times.

A bright light fired up, and Misty was forced to squint to look in the direction it was shining from. Sure enough, once her eyes got used to the intense light, Misty saw Team Rocket standing there, illuminated by the light, sneering at them through the net.

Misty sighed tiredly.

She _really_ wasn't in the mood for this today. Not with Brock's imminent departure still weighing heavily on her mind.

"Score for our team!" Meowth laughed menacingly.

"Team Rocket!" Ash exclaimed in surprise.

"Not you guys again" Brock growled in frustration.

"Who else would do something as lame as this?" Misty questioned.

The two boys glanced at each other, then at her, and shrugged.

"We thought you might be up for a little game" Jessie sneered at them, ignoring the fact that Misty had essentially called their latest scheme 'lame'.

"But already you've been beaten by two goals" James laughed at his own joke.

Misty rolled her eyes.

Did they _really_ think it wasn't going to take them long to get out of this trap? With their track record of escaping traps, Team Rocket really should know better than to underestimate them by now.

Unlike Misty however, who was keeping her cool, The Invincible Pokémon Brothers lunged forwards and seized the strings of the net, all baring their teeth and looking downright furious.

"Let us out of here Team Rocket!" Kim demanded angrily.

"Come on! We're on your side!" Kael added furiously.

Jessie looked downright demonic as she rounded her gaze onto them. She was red in the face and if possible, even angrier than her captives.

"You were supposed to be _Invincible_!" she stormed angrily.

Now THAT caught Misty's attention, as well as Ash's and Brock's. They immediately began putting the pieces together.

"So these weird brothers are with Team Rocket?!" Misty hissed as she figured it out.

It all made perfect sense now.

Nobody just taunts three random strangers and rile them up for no reason.

And it wasn't like The Invincible Pokemon Brothers had any personal reason to be against Misty or her friends - but if they had been _paid_ to lure them here into this trap, well... that made much more sense in hindsight.

She immediately regretted letting her emotions over their taunting get the better of her.

She should have just shrugged it off.

Who cares what people think about her and Ash's friendship anyway?

"Why won't you let us out?!" Kai practically wailed, snapping Misty out of her thoughts, "We did everything you were paying us to do!"

The three brothers began hustling and kicking and flailing about, all shouting their protests and a few colourful profanities at Team Rocket, who were glaring at them coldly from outside of the makeshift prison.

"You should know that there are more important things in this world than money" Jessie smirked easily once they had somewhat quietened down.

"Which means even if we had any to give you we still wouldn't!" James added, just as smug as ever.

"That's right!" Meowth laughed tauntingly.

Misty and her friends watched as the Invincible Pokémon Brothers were overcome with rage.

The redhead bit back a smirk.

At this rate, it was going to take very little for her and her friends to outsmart all six of these losers. They were too busy fighting amongst themselves to even notice Misty, Ash and Brock.

And that would give them the opportunity to escape without much trouble.

"Give us our money!" Kael screamed at Team Rocket.

"We had a contract!" Kai yelled, outraged that they would break it.

"We don't care about the contract!" James laughed mocking.

"Yeah!" Meowth grinned wickedly, "After you guys went to go find the twerps we cut it up, so there!"

"Well that's not the only thing that's going to get a cut" an oddly calm Kim smirked, and turning, Misty saw him produce a small pair of scissors from his pocket, "Short around the back and sides anyone?"

He instantly began hacking away at the net.

Misty raised an eyebrow. So the little pain-in-the-neck actually _was_ useful for something? Who'd have thought it.

"AAARRGGHH! They're cutting out!" Meowth screamed in alarm.

The net fell away, leaving the way out clear. The Invincible Pokémon Brothers and their pokemon stormed out of Team Rocket's makeshift prison, unknowingly followed by Misty, Ash and Brock.

Kim, Kael, Kai, Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, and Hitmontop all surrounded an alarmed Team Rocket, all six of them yelling and screaming and demanding the money that was owed to them.

"Waaahhhh!" Jessie screamed, clutching at her hair, "Go away!"

"You three should go away!" Ash yelled, catching Team Rocket's attention, all of whom sweat-dropped, "At least the other three got us out of there!"

"Okay, are you guys ready?" Misty asked determinedly, glaring at the criminals.

"Yeah!" Ash and Brock both nodded together.

"Politoed, Water Gun!"

"Forretress, Rapid Spin!"

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt em!"

Politoed leapt up into the air and again drew in a lot of air into his lungs before firing a jet of water from his mouth. Forretress zipped by the green pokemon as he whirled towards Team Rocket, and Pikachu flickered with sparks before unleashing a huge lightning bolt.

The three attacks combined, and together they fused into a vortex of swirling water, air, and electricity.

Both Team Rocket AND The Invincible Pokemon Brothers shrieked in pain as they were all enveloped by the tornado, and before anyone knew what was happening, they were sent hurtling across the sky.

"Team Rocket's blasting off again!" Team Rocket yelled as they vanished from sight. Thankfully the Invincible Pokemon Brothers had no comment to make.

Misty, Ash and Brock all smirked triumphantly.

Hopefully that would be the last they'd see of _them_ for a while.

"You know..." Brock said slowly, and the other two turned to face him, "I'm going to miss this".

Misty arched an eyebrow.

"You're going to miss getting trapped in nets and holes and who knows what else by Team Rocket?" she scoffed incredulously.

"Oh no - _that_ part I will happily say goodbye too - it's just... I'm gonna miss battling with you guys. You've both come on so far from when I first met you both" he said almost wistfully, "I wish I didn't have to go" he admitted sadly.

Misty could feel tears welling up, and hurriedly blinked them away.

If the boys were going to be strong and hold it together over this, then damn it she was too.

"We know" Ash nodded knowingly, "But this is for your family, for your brother".

"Yeah" Brock smiled slightly, "Yeah it is".

A bell suddenly rang in the distance, and looking around for the source of the noise, Misty's eyes settled on a large clock tower. She deflated sadly upon reading the hands.

It was already the afternoon, which meant if they set off any later, it would be nightfall before they made it to Pallet Town.

Both boys had already agreed that they didn't wish to leave it so late to set off.

And that meant one thing.

Glancing at her two best friends, Misty realised from the haunted looks on their faces that they had reached the same conclusion she had.

They time together was almost over.

* * *

Misty, Ash and Brock had left Viridian City, and were now walking down the road that would lead to a very specific junction. A junction where North would head to Pewter City, and South would lead to Pallet Town.

It was where she and Ash would soon be forced to say their goodbyes to Brock.

Misty swallowed at the thought.

The three of them had naturally grown close, and to suddenly have one third of their party torn away so abruptly... well, it was no wonder it was starting to get a little too real now.

The fact that a heavy silence loomed over them didn't help matters either.

And the reason for the silence was simple.

All three of them were contemplating that this would be their final walk together as travelling companions. But the silence was much too intense, and eventually Misty just couldn't stand it anymore.

"So, Brock" she broke the silence, startling the boys out of their own thoughts, "How do you plan to start off Forrest's training?"

Brock looked surprised, but quickly realised what she was doing.

He couldn't help but smile.

"First of all, I'm going to take him out into the field, and we're going to find a rock-type pokemon that I can catch and give to him as his starter" Brock explained the outline of his first goal as his brother's mentor, "It'll get him the right type of pokemon that he wants, plus he'll be able to see how trainers catch their pokemon rather than just reading about it like he's done so far".

"That sounds good" Ash nodded absentmindedly.

Misty sighed. She could tell that Ash, like herself, was rather preoccupied thinking about how they were going to say their goodbyes to their friend.

And to think that earlier that morning, neither of them had even known about this.

How Brock had kept this to himself without going crazy, Misty would never know.

"You're going to make a great mentor for him Brock" Misty smiled, before she teasingly added, "Just try not to teach him about your way with girls, or the poor boy will never get a girlfriend".

Brock barked out a long, hard laugh.

"I'll try not too" he nodded, smiling.

"One more thing, Brock" Ash said unexpectedly.

"What is it?" Brock turned to him.

Ash frowned, trying to figure out the best way to say what he wanted to.

"I know you want to help your brother, and I know you're going to turn him into a great pokemon trainer... just..." Ash paused, before finally saying, "Don't forget about your own dream too, okay? You're an amazing pokemon breeder, and you can't just throw all your hard work away. So whilst you're helping Forrest, still keep up with your own breeder training, okay?"

Brock smiled, touched that Ash thought so highly of him, and wanted him to continue doing his best.

"You got it" he eventually nodded.

Misty smiled, and for a moment, she allowed herself to get lost in memories.

Meeting Brock for the first time… him asking to join her and Ash on their journey… all the fights he had mediated or broken up… all those kind words of encouragement… saying goodbye to him in the Orange Islands… finding him again and him coming with them to Johto... facing down legendary pokemon and even saving the day once or twice…

How could it all end so abruptly?

"You know" Misty couldn't help the smile that played across her face, "It's really thanks to Ash that you and I even met Brock".

Ash looked surprised to hear that.

"I know what you mean" Brock smiled, "A lot of coincidences seem to happen around Ash".

"What do you mean?" Ash asked curiously.

"Well... if you had never broken that alarm clock of yours, you would never have got Pikachu as your starter pokemon" Brock started.

"You wouldn't have stolen my bike" Misty added, before smirking, "And it would never have been cremated".

Ash rolled his eyes, but his smile said he was anything but annoyed.

"We probably wouldn't have even talked to each other, let alone started travelling together" Misty added, heart clenching at the thought.

"And if you hadn't faced me with Pikachu, I'd never have been so impressed with you for defeating my rock-types with an electric-type" Brock added, "I might not have even asked to come with you guys if things had played out differently".

"What we mean Ash, is that that simple event is what really caused all of us to meet and become best friends" Misty finished with a grin.

"No way, I don't believe that" Ash shook his head, and Misty and Brock both waited for him to continue, "It _couldn't_ have been a coincidence".

"What do you mean Ash?" Misty asked.

"I don't believe it could be just a coincidence that I met _you_ out of all people" he said, and Misty was pleased that he sounded happy about that and not sad, "I guess what I mean is, even though all that stuff happened, I think that we were _meant_ to meet and become best friends".

He said it with such certainty that Misty honestly couldn't help but agree with him.

"Maybe you're right" Brock spoke up, drawing their attention to him, "We've been through so much together, maybe it _was_ fate".

Misty's smile soon turned wistful.

If it really was fate that had put them together as friends in the first place, then maybe it was fate that was pulling them apart now.

Shaking those thoughts away, Misty turned her attention back onto the road.

She felt her heart sink.

They were at the junction.

Their time was up.

Judging by the identical sighs that escaped from Ash and Brock, both of them had noticed they'd arrived too.

Misty hastily stiffled a sob.

She was determined to get through this without crying.

But it was so hard. This was the spot where she and Ash would be forced say goodbye to Brock, and any adventure they might still have shared together had things gone differently today.

"Guess you'll be heading that way then, huh" she said dejectedly, nodding towards the route that led to Pewter City.

"Yeah…" Brock wasn't sure what to say.

What _could_ he say?

How could he say goodbye to Ash and Misty when they had gone through so much together?

It felt like his heart was being cracked in two, and for one moment, he seriously considered telling them that he'd changed his mind, that he wouldn't go back home, that he wouldn't mentor Forrest - but he knew that wasn't an option.

He had promised his little brother and Brock would never break a promise.

Nevertheless, picking between his biological family and his honourary family wasn't an easy decision to make.

It fact, it hurt like hell.

But there wasn't anything else for it.

This had to be done.

"Take care Ash" he finally said, a small sad smile on his face, "You too Misty. You two look out for each other".

"We will" Misty promised, forcing herself to give him a smile, albeit a strained one, "You take care of yourself too".

"I will" Brock nodded seriously.

"Will I… will _we_ see you again?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

It was hard enough knowing they wouldn't get to see him every day, but if she _never_ saw him again… that would just make this unbearable.

"You will" Brock said without a moment's hesitation, "I swear. I'm going to keep in touch with you both. I'll never let our friendship die, I promise you both. And you guys better drop by any time you're in Pewter City".

"You can count on it" Ash said, his voice trembling slightly.

The three of them stared at each other for a moment, all of them silent.

Then with no need for words and with heartbreaking synchronicity, all three of them pulled themselves into a group hug, all of them clinging onto the others like they were the only things tethering them to reality.

Once again, Misty was forced to push away some tears that were trying to escape.

Her lip quivered, but she just hugged her friends even tighter, wanting so desperately for this to be just a bad dream, for it not to be real, for them to still have time together to share more memories and adventures.

But it simply wasn't to be.

Eventually they broke apart, and they shared one final smile.

"I'll miss you guys" Brock finally said, sounding on the verge of tears.

Ash and Misty both nodded, and Brock could tell simply by the look in their eyes, that they were going to miss him dearly too.

"Goodbye Brock" Misty said, standing on her tip-toes and kissing him on the cheek.

"Bye" Ash said, holding out his fist.

Brock smiled, and bumped his own fist against Ash's. He then patted Togepi once on the head, scratched behind Pikachu's ears, then turned and walked away.

And just like that, their time together was over.

Brock started walking down the road leading towards Pewter City. He didn't once look back, but Misty honestly hadn't expected him too.

Looking back would give him a moment to doubt his decision.

It would give him a moment to change his mind.

It would put the temptation there.

And then leaving would be too hard to actually go through with.

So Brock continued walking, and Misty and Ash simply stared after him. After what felt like hours but also far too soon for their liking, he disappeared into the forest and was lost from sight.

That's when the heartbreak really set in.

Misty swayed on the spot, furiously blinking back tears as her heart felt like it was turning to ice in her chest. Part of her was relieved when Ash hastily wiped at his eyes.

It meant she wasn't the only one finding this hard to deal with.

"He left..." Ash croaked in disbelief.

"He did what he thought was best" Misty reminded both Ash and herself of that important detail, "He had to do this. We both know that".

"I know... but..." Ash trailed off, not knowing what to say.

Misty shook her head.

"There's nothing we can do except what Brock would want us to do" she said grimly.

"And what's that?" Ash asked curiously.

"Carry on" was all Misty had to say.

* * *

Hours later, Ash and Misty were still crossing through the forest between Viridian City and Pallet Town. They trudged on in silence, neither really in the mood to talk considering they were both still trying to come to terms with Brock's abrupt departure.

Eventually though, the trees thinned out, and Misty was finally able to smile again when her best friend's face lit up with excitement.

That was one of the things she loved the most about Ash.

He might have a talent for annoying the life out of her, but he always had a way of making Misty smile. Seeing him getting excited about something was enough to take her mind of her troubles, and Misty was extremely grateful to him for that right now.

It wasn't a rare wild pokemon that was exciting Ash though.

It wasn't even the prospect of a tough battle to be had.

No - it was simply because they had arrived at the edge of the forest, and were looking down at the quaint little settlement known as Pallet Town.

"Home..." Ash sighed, happy for a distraction, before turning to his faithful partner, "Almost there Pikachu. We'll stop by and say hi to Mom, and then we'll go to Professor Oak's lab to see all our other pokemon friends. Sound good?"

"Pika!" Pikachu cheered excitedly.

"Misty?" he turned to his human friend for her agreement.

"Sounds like a plan" Misty forced the cheer into her voice.

"Toge" Togepi chirped happily from her arms.

They quickly resumed their walking, albeit with a faster pace now that their destination was in sight, and within twenty minutes the two humans and two pokemon were crossing the border into Pallet Town.

Misty looked around fondly at the small town she had visited many times over the past couple of years. Whilst it didn't hold as many memories for her as it did for Ash, she had still grown attached to the place, and felt almost a sense of relief to be back again.

Soon enough, the group arrived at the Ketchum Residence.

It looked the same as ever - well cared for and homely, with its beautiful garden which Mrs Ketchum and Mimey, her Mr Mime, had so lovingly nurtured.

With a huge grin on his face, Ash raced up the garden path, and knocked on the door.

Misty joined him on the front porch, waiting patiently for the door to be answered. Ash was hopping from foot to foot anxiously, eager to see his mother again.

"Coming!" a familiar female voice called from inside the house.

There was the sound of a key in the lock, and the door suddenly opened, revealing Mrs Ketchum standing in the doorway.

Her face lit up with excitement and she beamed when she took in who her visitors were.

"Ash!" she cried delightedly, "You're back! Welcome home!"

"Hi Mom" Ash couldn't help but grin.

Mrs Ketchum pulled him into her arms, hugging him tightly.

Misty couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at this. In all the time she had known both Ash and his mother, she had never once seen them hug. Sometimes she had even wondered if Mrs Ketchum even missed her son when he wasn't at home, but it was obvious now that she did indeed miss Ash when he was gone.

Very much in fact by the looks of it.

"I'm glad to see you too Mom" Ash's muffled voice caught Misty's attention, "But you're suffocating me!"

"Oops!" Mrs Ketchum giggled as she pulled away, releasing Ash from the embrace, "Sorry about that. I'm just so glad you're back, Ash. And it's wonderful to see you too Misty, how's everything been going? Have you been keeping my little Ash in line?"

"Of course, you know me" Misty winked, whilst Ash looked somewhat put out by his mother's words, "Everything's been great Mrs Ketchum. How about you?"

"Oh I'm just fine dear, thank you for asking" Mrs Ketchum smiled, "And how are Pikachu and Togepi?"

"Pika!" Pikachu waved at her happily from Ash's shoulder.

"Toge!" Togepi smiled widely.

Mrs Ketchum smiled at the two pokemon, before she frowned thoughtfully, "Is Brock not with you?"

Both Ash's and Misty's smiles fell away immediately.

Misty closed her eyes, forcing some tears away before they could fall.

It had only been a matter of hours, but already the pain of losing one third of their travelling trio hurt them deeply to think about.

But Misty refused to cry over it. This was Brock's decision, and she had to respect that.

Mrs Ketchum caught the shift in their demeanours and looked concerned.

"Has something happened to Brock?" she asked worriedly, "Is he alright?"

"Yeah... he's okay Mom" Ash nodded solemnly, "He's gone".

"Gone?" Mrs Ketchum blinked.

"Home" Misty elaborated sadly, "It's kind of a long story".

"Oh, well in that case, come on in. I'll put the kettle on, and you can tell me the whole story over a nice cup of tea" Mrs Ketchum suggested, stepping aside to let them in.

Both nodding, Ash and Misty followed her into the house, and Mrs Ketchum shut the door.

Five minutes later, the three of them were sitting in Mrs Ketchum's charming living room, each holding a cup of tea, Mrs Ketchum listening intently whilst the two teenagers explained about Brock's reasoning for returning home to Pewter City.

"Oh, I see" Mrs Ketchum sighed once Ash and Misty had finished their story, "Well, it's a shame that the three of you won't get to travel together anymore, but it's good of Brock to help his younger brother out like that. He is an awfully kind and caring boy".

"Yeah... we've both going to miss him" Ash said sadly.

"Chin up, dear" Mrs Ketchum said bracingly, "Don't forget, you've still got one really good friend with you, one you cares about you deeply".

She gestured at Misty, who couldn't help but blush slightly.

"Of course" Ash chuckled, smiling at his best female friend, "I would never get anywhere without Misty".

"Too right" Misty grinned playfully.

Truth be told though, she really believed it to be the other way around. She simply couldn't imagine life without Ash anymore, and to be perfectly honest, she really didn't want to.

"And I've got Pikachu with me too. And all my other pokemon" Ash continued, his spirits brightening up again immediately, "So I'm never lonely".

"Good" Mrs Ketchum smiled upon hearing that, before a thoughtful expression overtook her face, "Speaking of your pokemon, I'm sort of surprised you came here first Ash. I thought you'd have rushed off straight to Professor Oak's laboratory to go see them all".

Ash gave her a sheepish smile.

"To tell you the truth Mom, I AM actually planning on doing that soon" he told her, "But I really wanted to come say hi to you first".

"Well I'm glad you did" Mrs Ketchum nodded, smiling, "It's so nice to have you both here again. Tell me, are you planning on staying for a while?"

"Sure am" Ash nodded, "I'm not sure for how long, but at least a couple of days".

"Good" Mrs Ketchum beamed, before turning to Misty, "And you're more than welcome to stay here too Misty. You can use the guest bedroom you stayed in last time".

"Thank you very much, Mrs Ketchum" Misty politely smiled, "I really appreciate it".

"Oh my, think nothing of it dear" Mrs Ketchum waved her gratitude aside, "It's lovely having you here".

"Thanks Mom" Ash smiled, pleased that his mother was always so welcoming towards his friends, "Do you want to come to the lab with us?"

"I'd love to" Mrs Ketchum nodded, eager to spend some more time with her son, "Let me just go tell Mimey. He's picking vegetables out in the back garden".

Mrs Ketchum left the living room to go tell Mimey that she was going out.

Two minutes later, Ash, Misty, and Mrs Ketchum were heading out the front door, and making their way towards Professor Oak's laboratory.

* * *

When they arrived at Professor Oak's laboratory, Professor Oak and Tracey greeted them in much the same way that Mrs Ketchum had; warmly and pleased to see them again. Immediately the Professor ushered his guests into the living quarters of the laboratory, and they were soon supplied with another cup of tea.

Misty was barely able to sit still from all the caffeine.

Like Mrs Ketchum, the Professor had quickly picked up on the fact that Brock was absent from their gathering, so once again Ash and Misty were forced to explain about his decision to become a mentor to his younger brother.

Misty _really_ wished that it would stop coming up now.

It hadn't even been a day, yet the pain of losing Brock already felt so raw.

It was like a scab that was constantly being picked at.

Thankfully though, the Professor only nodded his understanding, and Tracey didn't really have much of an opinion on the matter, since he barely even knew Brock, having only met him the once.

The conversation then moved on to happier topics, such as Ash's performance at the Silver Conference, as well as some of their adventures in the Johto region.

Professor Oak in particular was eager to hear all about the pokemon they had encountered there. Some of them were rarely ever spotted in the Kanto region, so his excitement to hear more about them was quite understandable.

"Splendid, simply splendid" the Professor smiled as Misty finished telling him all about their encounter with a frozen Sunkern, and its eventual evolution into a Sunflora, "It's simply fascinating to hear about all this. I could listen to you both for hours. Sadly though, there is something I've been meaning to talk to you about, and it isn't about pokemon".

"What is it Professor?" Misty said, a little surprised.

"I'm sorry to change the subject without much warning" Professor Oak apologised, "But there's a little matter that we need to attend to".

"There is?" Ash blinked.

"Yes" the Professor nodded, "No need to look so worried my boy, it's nothing bad. Tell me, have you heard anything about the new decree that the Pokemon League is imposing on all trainers, with immediate effect?"

"No I haven't" Ash shook his head, "What's a decee?"

"It's like a law" Misty explained to him, "You know, like a rule you have to follow. If the Pokemon League's issued one, we'll have to follow it or they could revoke our licenses to train pokemon".

"Can they really do that?!" Ash exclaimed, shocked.

"Yes, I'm afraid they do have the authority to remove a trainer's license" Professor Oak nodded.

"But why now?" Misty wanted to know.

"Well, one League season has just ended and another to due to begin" the Professor shrugged, "It makes sense for the League to impose this new law now before the new seasons starts".

Misty nodded, seeing the logic in that.

"So what is this new decree, Professor?" Mrs Ketchum asked, sipping her tea calmly, "I haven't heard about it either".

"I'll explain" Professor Oak assured them, before turning to Tracey, who sat up straighter in his seat, "But first, I'd appreciate it Tracey if you could go fetch that parcel that arrived this morning. I'll need it to do this properly".

"Of course Professor" Tracey nodded, standing up before leaving the room.

The others patiently waited in silence.

Several minutes later, Tracey returned, now carrying a large metal box that almost looked like a briefcase in his hands.

"Here it is Professor" Tracey placed the box on the table in the middle of the room.

"Thank you my boy" Professor Oak nodded gratefully.

The Professor then proceeded to clear his throat, before launching into his explanation.

"First, I'd like to ask you all a question" The Professor said, and Misty surpressed a smile at how 'teacher-like' he sounded, "Which of you can explain to me how travelling trainers currently make their money for supplies, food, and medicine and other essentials under the Pokemon League's regime?" he asked.

When none of the others spoke, Misty piped up.

"By doing odd jobs for either other trainers or citizens that live out in remote areas. By trading goods for money, although that's a little rarer. Gambling with other trainers on the outcome of pokemon battles..." she ticked off on her fingers.

"And would it be fair to say that all of those methods are rather unstable means of income?" Professor Oak probed.

"Sure" Ash agreed, nodding.

Misty could see the Professor's point as well. More times than she could count she and her friends had needed something from a Pokemart, only to have no money or not enough.

"Sometimes we've ran out of money, yeah" Misty slowly nodded.

"You and probably every other trainer that travels in not only this region, but all the other ones too" Professor Oak nodded importantly.

"So... the new decree had something to do with how trainers make their money?" Mrs Ketchum piped up.

"It does" Professor Oak nodded, "The Pokemon League has had numerous reports of... trainers meeting unpleasant... _ends_... due to not have the basic equipment they'd have if a proper currency system was in place".

"You mean they... _died_?" Tracey looked horrified.

"Unfortunately that is the case, yes" Professor Oak nodded grimly, "Some from accidents that could have been avoided. Some from starvation. Some from other means too".

"Oh, how _dreadful_ " Mrs Ketchum looked aghast.

Ash eyed his mother nervously, worried that she might want him to give up his training now that she knew just how complicated and potentially dangerous it could be.

She didn't say anything else though, so Ash took that as a good sign.

Misty was thinking hard about what the Professor was telling them.

She knew how true his words were.

More than once she and her friends had gone without a meal for several more days than was healthy. Not to mention they'd ran out of pokeballs or potions and other essential equipment needed to be a Pokemon Trainer.

It was about time the League did more to support its trainers whilst out on the road.

"And so the League has been placed under enormous scrutiny from the media and the general public to do something about this problem" Professor Oak continued, "So for the past few months, the League Union had been making plans to introduce a new system that will hopefully ensure nothing so tragic happens again. About a week ago, the system was finally finished and it's now being implemented worldwide".

"A little too late if you ask me" Ash grumbled darkly.

Mrs Ketchum nodded in agreement.

She knew that she could never ask her son to stop travelling now that he'd already had a taste for the adventure of it, but she wished she'd known just how hard it could be for trainers some times.

If she had, she would have done more to help her son and his friends whilst they were out on the road.

"Can you tell us what this new system means for travelling trainers, Professor Oak?" Tracey politely requested.

"Of course" the Professor replied, "The Pokemon League issued a notice to every Regional Professor that they are to inform all their trainers of within the first two weeks of the new system being announced, i.e, two weeks from today".

" _Your_ trainers?" Ash frowned in confusion.

"It means the trainers that I issued with their starter pokemon" Professor Oak elaborated, "You and Gary for example".

"But what about trainers like me?" Misty piped up, confused, "I never got a pokemon from a professor like most trainers. What about us?"

"For any trainer that wasn't started off on their journey by a professor, the Pokemon League will be sending emails and letters out to their last known addresses informing them of the change" Professor Oak assured her, "But since you're here, that won't be necessary in your case".

Misty nodded her understanding.

"So what does the notice say?" Tracey inquired.

Professor Oak took a slip of paper from the pocket of his lab coat and unfolded it. He cleared his throat before reading it aloud.

 _'Greetings all Pokemon Trainers._

 _This message comes directly from the Pokemon League. It is of vital importance and is not to be ignored._

 _Due to a number of incidents that have just recently been reported to us regarding the financial situations of travelling trainers, the Pokemon League has deployed its every resource into finding a solution that will benefit every pokemon trainer regardless of age, colour, gender, religion or class._

 _We are very pleased to report that we have finished setting up this new system that we hope will boost the economy within the training community._

 _From the date of receiving this notification, (You will be required to sign an acknowledgement form that will be kept in our achives in both paper and electronic format), it will be a crime not to wear your Balance Bracelet whilst conducting a Pokemon Battle'_

"Balance Bracelet?" Misty interrupted, "What's a Balance Bracelet?"

"I don't wanna wear no bracelet" Ash exclaimed, looking embarrassed, "They're far too girly".

Misty could honestly agree with that.

She was hardly the girly type after all, and bracelets weren't really her thing.

"You won't have a choice Ash" Professor Oak regarded the boy sternly, "Not if you want to continue being a pokemon trainer. And in answer to your question Misty, the Balance Bracelet is the next item on the notice to be explained".

Misty nodded and fell silent, and Professor Oak continued reading.

 _'Your Balance Bracelet is a piece of hi-tech equipment developed by the Pokemon League's highly trained technicians that you will receive, free of charge, from the Regional Professor that is currently reading this announcement to you. Trainers may request to have their Balance Bracelet sent to their last known address but they must contact their local branch of the Pokemon League's Trainer Service Office for this service._

 _These bracelets are required by law to enter any Pokemon Tournament or Contest. If you cannot produce your Balance Bracelet on demand to an Officer Jenny whilst travelling, your Trainer License will be revoked and your pokemon will be taken into care until you either register for a Balance Bracelet or produce your own. You may also have to pay a fine. Those over the age of eighteen may also be arrested on charges of fraud and theft, as you will be stealing from any trainer that defeats you in battle._

 _We are sure by this point that you are confused as to how a bracelet ties into your financial situation. Simply, the Balance Bracelet acts as a security monitor that is linked to the new online banking system that the League has recently launched. When worn to a pokemon battle, or Contest Battle for Pokemon Co-Ordinators, the Balance Bracelet monitors which trainer wins and which trainer loses. Then, the winner's account, (which the professor reading you this announcement will help you set up, or alternatively instructions on how to set up your account can be found on the Pokemon League's official website), is credited with an amount the bracelet itself determines the value of, whilst the loser's account has money taken out of it. Any account with less than £1000 in it will not have any funds withdrawn, and the League itself shall pay the winner._

 _We understand that this rule may seem harsh to those that lose the battle, however we believe that this system will provide additional motivation for trainers to sharpen their perform and skill level, as nobody wishes to lose money due to being a poor battler. Also, we've implemented the minimum £1000 rule to ensure that nobody is left bankrupt, as it was that situation which lead to the development of this entire system in the first place'_

"Wow" Mrs Ketchum was very impressed, "It sure sounds as if they've thought of everything".

She was relieved to know things would be made easier on the children with this new decree in place.

"With all the bad press this must of stirred up, they probably had too" Tracey stated bluntly.

Professor Oak continued reading the memo.

 _'We at the League also wish to assure you that all the personal details needed to open your account, along with the contents of each individual account as well, are protected by the best cyber-defences of modern times. There is a less than zero percentage of chance that an account can be hacked, and we have teams of specially trained Porygon and Porygon2 defending your accounts. We take cyber-security very seriously where your money is concerned._

 _Next on the agenda is your account. As previously stated, the professor reading you this announcement will set you up with your new account, and as an induction gift to all our trainers, every account will be credited with £2000, no strings attached, other than you are expected, as always, to follow the laws of your country, and the restrictions of the Pokemon League'_

"They're just going to give everyone free money?!" Ash gasped in shocked.

"Compared to how much the League makes every year based on working taxes alone, £2000 isn't really that much per trainer. Plus the more trainers that get into the League Tournaments every year, the more money the League will pull back in with tourism and trade" Misty quickly explained to him.

Professor Oak resumed his monologue.

 _'This £2000 is only to be used for the purchase of pokemon based or traveling based equipment such as potions, pokeballs, and medicine and food needed for basic survival. It is NOT to be used for luxuries such as non survival-clothes or recreational activities. Any money earned through battle may however be used for such things._

 _Finally, you need to know how and where you can actually spend your hard earned money. As this entire system is computer based, you will not be able to make cash withdrawals from Cash-Machines. Instead, you will be issued with a New Trainer Licence that comes with the added benefit of doubling up as a credit card. These cards will be accepted in every Pokemart, and more and more department stores and other shops around the world are converting to this new system._

 _We at the League are very hopeful that this new economical system will benefit everyone and will reduce the tragic loss of trainers to zero with immediate effect. Whilst it is difficult to ensure that everyone previously registered as a trainer receives this notification, from this point onwards, every rookie trainer will be issued their Balance Balance and account when they receive their Trainer Licence, Pokedex and Starter Pokemon. We wish you all a pleasant day and we will happily answer any queries submitted in writing to our Correspondence Department'_

"It's signed by the director of the Pokemon League himself if you want to read it yourselves" Professor Oak stated as he finished the memo.

"So let me just see if I've got this right" Misty spoke up before any of the others could, "You wear the bracelet, and the more pokemon battles you win, the more money you get that you can spend using this new Trainer ID card you're gonna give us?"

"That's right" the Professor nodded, "And you did a much easier job of explaining it than this memo" he chuckled.

"Okay... so what do we do next?" Ash asked.

"First; you, Misty and Tracey all need to sign and date these forms" the Professor said, picking up a stack of papers, "They're the Acknowledgement Form you need to sign to prove that the notice was read to you, or that you read an email or letter from the League containing the same memo".

He passed Ash, Misty, and Tracey one each.

"Have you got a pen please, Professor Oak" Misty requested.

The Professor nodded, and removed a pen from his coat pocket which he passed to her. He then stood up, headed over to his desk, and came back with two more pens which he handed to Ash and Tracey.

Misty quickly read through her form, taking extra care to read all the small print, and once satisfied that everything was in order, she filled in the form before signing it.

She returned it to Professor Oak as Ash and Tracey did the same.

"Excellent" Professor Oak said cheerfully as he stored the forms away, "Now, we need to set up your accounts. We can use my computer to do this part".

This part took a while longer.

Misty was surprised at how much detail was required to open the account, but nevertheless she submitted her full name, her date of birth, her birthplace, her Trainer I.D number, and all the other details required.

Once Professor Oak had approved it, the man had entered a password that Misty was not allowed to see, and the details were sent off to the Pokemon League so that her account could be opened.

Professor Oak then quickly did the same for Ash and Tracey, whilst Mrs Ketchum remained at the table, sipping her tea.

"Right, now as we're waiting for the details to go through, I think this is a good time to give you your Balance Bracelets, and some information booklets that will hopefully answer any questions you might have" the Professor said.

He picked up the box he had sent Tracey to retrieve earlier and opened it.

Misty glanced down at the box, and saw dozens of silver coloured, high-tech looking bands that appeared to be made of metal. They were coated in protective material, and they each had a small screen and a tiny keyboard forming the centre of them.

They almost looked like digital watches, the redhead privately thought.

The Professor pulled three Balance Bracelets out of the box and began fiddling with them. They each made a series of loud beeps.

"Here" he said, handing them out, "You need to type in your Trainer I.D number. It's unique to every trainer".

Misty typed in her I.D number and once she'd finished, the Balance Bracelet made a series of beeping noises.

The screen then lit up.

 **"Greetings Misty Waterflower. Thank you for activating me"** the bracelet said in an automated voice.

Misty stared at the device, impressed.

It vividly reminded her of Dexter, Ash's first pokedex.

Around her, her friends' bracelets activated and greeted their new owners too.

"Good" Professor Oak nodded his approval, "So the bracelets are all set up and once -".

He was cut off as his computer dinged loudly, and turning to it, the wise old Professor typed on the keyboard and brought up an alert email. A machine suddenly whirled, before several small lamented rectangular I.D cards were printed out.

"Ah, perfect timing. Well kids, that was an alert from the Pokemon League. Your accounts were all set up without any problems and will be accessible within two hours. Here are the information booklets and your new Trainer I.D Cards".

The Professor handed them each a booklet and their respective I.D card.

Misty pocketed her new Trainer License, before quickly flicking through the booklet interestedly.

Across from her, Ash was doing the same, and Mrs Ketchum was peering over at the booklet too.

"Thanks a lot Professor Oak" Misty, Ash and Tracey all said together.

"It was my pleasure" Professor Oak waved their gratitude aside, "Those booklets should explain everything you need to know about how the bracelets and the new banking system works, but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask me".

"We will" the three teenagers nodded.

"So" Mrs Ketchum piped up, setting down her teacup on the table, "Is that everything?"

"It is" the Professor nodded in confirmation.

"Then we should really be heading home" Mrs Ketchum announced, "It's getting late".

Misty glanced out the window and saw that darkness had indeed fallen outside.

"It's dark already?!" Ash cried in shock, "Aw! I wanted to say hi to all my pokemon!"

"Well, it's too late for that now Ash" Misty told him.

"It sure is, but you can come back tomorrow morning and say hi to them all then" Mrs Ketchum suggested.

"Would that be alright Professor?" Ash asked the older man hopefully.

"Of course" the Professor nodded.

Professor Oak then pulled himself to his feet in order show his guests out.

The others all mirrored the action.

As she stood, Misty slipped her new bracelet onto her wrist.

The Professor and Tracey showed Misty, Ash, and Mrs Ketchum to the front door of the Oak home/laboratory.

"Goodnight Ash, Misty, Delia" he bid them farewell, "Be sure to pop around at some point tomorrow. I'd love to talk more about your recent adventures in the Johto region, and you're always welcome too Delia".

"We will" Ash and Misty said, whilst Mrs Ketchum nodded.

"Goodnight guys" Tracey nodded at them all politely.

"Goodnight" Misty, Ash, and Mrs Ketchum all said.

The three of them set of through the darkness.

Misty had to fight hard to stiffle a yawn threatening to escape her.

It had been a very long day after all.

* * *

 **And there's part two : )**

 **Oh my god, you guys have NO idea just how good it feels to FINALLY have that whole money thing posted. I'm not going to lie, that was what set off my writer's block in the original version of the story. It was about to appear in the next chapter when I got stuck and my writer's block spilled over onto everything else. To finally have it written, posted and done with... it's just feels like a weight off me : )**

 **I'm still not thrilled with how this chapter turned out, but to be honest, I think this is as good as it's ever going to be, so I can live with that. The only reason the whole money thing is even necessary is because some important stuff later on in the story will revolve around their money, so this really needed doing.**

 **Anyway, even though I'm still not pleased with how this chapter turned out, it gets the job done, and I really hope you guys enjoyed it, even if it is just a lot of setting up for future plot-lines : )**

 **Now let's move onto the game : )**

 **Firstly - Congratulations to Dragonsrule18, Forget4me, SPeCTeR-117, RHatch89, Pokemon Trainer Tom, KuramaFTW, Sesshoru, FireEmblemMaster101, reppad98, NarutoMagi17, OmniDragon10, deant33, and ultimateCCC - the correct answer was indeed Rhydon.**

 **Better luck next time to Breakawayfan and QUEENSPELLER67, who both thought it was Aggron, and the Guest who thought it was Lairon.**

 **WHO'S THAT POKEMON?**

 **This pokemon has a body part that is considered to be priceless artwork. As such, it has been hunted almost to the point of extinction. It has no pre-evolutions or evolutions and has a generally low catch rate compared to other pokemon. One of Ash's rivals briefly had one of these pokemon.**

 **And there we go.**

 **Like I said before, I'm still not thrilled with everything that happened in this chapter, but from now on I'm looking forwards and not backwards. The money explanation is up, and now I can move onto more interesting topics, although the character's money will be brought up again at various points in this story/series : )**

 **I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and please leave a review on your way out.**

 **Until the next time, keep on reading : )**


	3. Gotta Catch Ya Later - Part 3

**Hi everyone : ) I really don't know what happened with this chapter. One minute I'm really struggling to get started, and the next I'm getting out a couple of thousand words in one night : )**

 **And oh my god! I can't believe it - we hit 500 reviews in the last chapter : ) I never dreamed when I started this that it would get so much support, so please keep it up everyone : )**

 **There's just something I want to mention about the length of this chapter. It is REALLY long, but I don't want to give people the impression that all futures ones will be this length. Most will be several thousand words shorter, but this episode in particular is about setting things up and tying loose ends up : )**

 **Anyway, thank you for all the reviews the last chapter got, and please remember that Pokemon is not mine : )**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter : )**

* * *

 **Gotta Catch Ya Later - Part 3**

* * *

It would not be unreasonable for a person to assume that at three o'clock in the morning, Pallet Town would be still and silent. After all, it wasn't like many people in the quaint little town ever had something so urgent it needed their attention at that hour. It was only natural for someone to think eveyone would be at home.

Everyone tucked up in bed.

Everyone fast asleep.

Anybody making that assumption would be wrong.

On the border of Pallet Town, there stood a small twenty-four hour cafe. There was nothing particularly special about it; it was just your average greasy spoon. In fact, it was so unremarkable it almost _was_ remarkable.

But what truly was unusual, was that despite the unsociable hour of the morning, there were three figures loitering outside the cafe.

Not one, but _three_.

Three people out of bed at three o'clock in the morning.

Now _that_ was unusual for Pallet Town.

The three people weren't doing anything suspicious though, or even anything that would draw attention.

They were just standing there, staring at the cafe thoughtfully.

The first figure was a man.

He had cyan blue hair that was tied back into a stylish ponytail. Perched on his nose were a pair of rectangular glasses. He wore a smart black suit with white pinstripes, and a bowler hat on his heat that was tipped so lowly, it obscured the larger half of his face. A simple black briefcase was clutched in his grasp.

The second figure was that of a woman.

Like her companion, the woman was dressed in business attire. She wore a simple white blouse under a striking red jacket. Her knee-length tight-fitting skirt was also red in colour, as were the heels strapped to her ankles. Her magenta hair was drawn back into a professional bun. She was eyeing the cafe with distain.

The third and final figure was somewhat... different.

He was much shorter than the other two, and far less... _human_ , as well. He had put a good amount of effort into covering up that little detail however. Dressed in a pinstripe suit identical to that of the man, the pokemon also had his own bowler hat, and had even glued a fake moustache to his face. It was a passable look, even if he did look more like a child playing dress up than a respectable businessman.

It wasn't obvious, but there was more to this trio than met the eye.

The three figures chanced a discrete look around the quiet street, and satisfied that nobody else was up and about at that late hour, they glanced at each other and nodded.

They all entered the cafe.

The cafe was virtually empty. In fact, the only person there was a young woman behind the counter, and she was just as unremarkable as her place of employment. She was standing behind the counter, a bored expression set into her face.

When the bell above the door jingled loudly, the girl was snapped out of her thoughts. She looked over at the approaching trio, eyeing them with great curiosity.

Unfazed, the trio approached the counter.

"We'd like three hot cocoas, please" the woman in red said as a means of greeting.

"With extra marshmallows and cinnamon" the blue-haired man added.

"And don't forget the side order of six jelly donuts" the shorter figure finished.

The girl's expression changed from a bored pout to a knowing smirk in a split second. She recognised that code, and immediately knew what the three of them were there for.

"Right. Three hot cocoas with extra marshmallows and cinnamon, and a side order of six jelly donuts, coming right up" she said, flashing them a grin, before gesturing to a door to her left, "Why don't you all head on into the back room? I'll bring in your order once everything is... _prepared_ ".

The trio all returned her dark grin.

None of them were expecting their hot cocoa with marshmallows and cinnamon, nor were any of them expecting a plate full of jelly donuts.

It was clear now, more than ever, that they were up to no good.

"Thank you" the woman in red nodded politely.

The two males also flashed the woman behind the counter appreciative smiles.

The trio then headed over to the door the woman had indicated, and completely ignoring the 'Staff Only' sign pinned to it, they passed through the door, without so much as a backward glance.

They had some _very_ important business to attend to.

The three figures entered the back room, finding it in total darkness. The lights were low, and the curtains drawn shut. Nothing about it would attract unwanted attention from anyone outside the window.

The trio looked around, and satisfied with what they saw, they glanced at each other and nodded.

Immediately, all three of them flung off their disguises, revealing themselves to be none other than Jessie, James and Meowth of Team Rocket.

"Thank Mew I'm out of that disguise" Meowth immediately complained, "That suit was chafing my tail".

"Stop complaining" Jessie lightly scolded, "We're here because we were ordered to come, by the boss himself".

That was certainly true.

They had just been recovering from the blast off the twerps had sent them on, when a Team Rocket Fearow had swooped down on them, dropped a letter signed by Giovanni on top of a crumpled Jessie's head and the briefcase James was holding on the ground, and then flew off again.

The letter had instructed them to come to this specific cafe at this specific time, tell the woman behind the counter the code, then go to a private room with the briefcase.

The briefcase that James was currently placing on a table in the centre of the room.

He opened it, revealing that it wasn't in fact a briefcase, but a laptop in disguise.

"I guess he wants a conference call" Jessie mused as they realised this.

"I hope he doesn't ask us for our expense report" James groaned.

"The only way to find out is to turn it on" Meowth pointed out.

James turned the laptop on, and for a moment there was nothing but a blank screen.

Then the display changed to that of a man.

A man that was _not_ Giovanni.

The man on the screen was in his late forties, with greying hair, a hard-set jaw, and calculating cold blue eyes. His nose was crooked, and had obviously been broken several times, and a gruesome scar ran down his left cheek. He was wearing a black uniform, with a scarlet 'R' on his chest.

Jessie, James, and Meowth were all immediately intimidated.

They all knew he was.

The man's name was Gregory Gray. He was the head of Team Rocket's financial and pay-roll department. Twenty years ago, he had earned his position as a departmental head by pulling off one of the largest bank heists that Kanto had ever seen. He had shot a security guard that had got in his way, and murdered him without so much as batting an eye.

Giovanni had easily persuaded him to turn his talents to Team Rocket's cause, and after a long and colourful criminal career, Agent Gray had retired to a desk job.

He was one of Giovanni's most trusted men.

He had to be, to have the job of dealing with the entire organisation's finances.

Yet despite his newer, much tamer job, everyone in Team Rocket still feared and respected him.

Jessie, James and Meowth included.

"Good morning Agent Gray, sir" Jessie greeted him nervously.

"Agents" Gray returned with a stiff nod, "I assume you all know why you've been summoned".

The looks on their faces gave it away.

"Apparently not" Gray scowled in annoyance, "Fine, I guess I'll have to explain. Our _good friends_ over at the Pokemon League have issued a new decree to all its trainers. One that will almost certainly blow the cover of any Team Rocket Agent if we do not follow it".

Jessie, James and Meowth all looked shocked.

To hear one of the highest members in the Team Rocket organisation, not to mention one that had murdered a man in cold blood, talking about a law they _had_ to follow; well, it was unnerving to say the least.

It certainly had their interest peaked.

"What is the new decree sir?" James asked curiously.

"A more stable way of allowing travelling trainers to earn and maintain an income" Gray explained.

The trio all looked excited to here _that_.

Far too many times, they had run out of money to be able to afford to eat.

This would surely put an end to that.

"But I don't understand" Meowth frowned in confusion, "We've already got our Team Rocket accounts that our salaries get paid directly into each month. Why do we need these new league ones?"

Agent Gray scoffed in disbelief.

He couldn't believe he had just been asked such a stupid question.

"Because all those accounts are _illegal_ , and if they are discovered, every single member of Team Rocket could be identified and jailed for life" Gray spat out, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"So... to make sure that doesn't happen, we're... what? Going to register with this new way of doing things, under fake names?" Jessie guessed.

Agent Gray nodded.

"Well, you and James are" Gray confirmed, "Meowth on the other hand doesn't need to. As a pokemon, it will attract far too much suspicion if he opens an account. If he wants to remain a member of Team Rocket, he'll have to run the risk of his Team Rocket account eventually being discovered".

"Hey, I'm more than ready to risk that" Meowth smirked, "Besides, it'll take more then some twerpy Officer Jenny to put _me_ behind bars".

"So what do we do first, sir?" James couldn't help but ask.

"First, we're going to wait for Agent Urwin to arrive. She's specially trained in forging documents, and can make you two fake identities that will for all intents and purposes seem entirely legal" Agent Gray told them, "Then she's going to take you through how the new banking system will work, and ensure you understand it all, so that if you're stopped whilst out in the field, you can keep your cover as trainers intact".

As if on cue, the door behind them opened, and in walked the woman who had been behind the counter. Her name was Pamela Urwin. Only _now_ she wasn't dressed like a waitress.

She was dressed in her Team Rocket uniform.

Clutched in her hands was a laptop and a camera.

"Sir" she nodded at the screen with Gray's face on it.

"Agent Urwin" Gray nodded in acknowledgement, "I assume you've received your orders regarding your fellow Agents?"

"I have sir, and I've got everything prepared to make all the necessary documents, such as Passports, Trainer Licenses, and Birth Certificates. Plus I've got Balance Bracelets" Agent Urwin explained, before smirking, "By the time I'm done, these two will have whole new lives and back-stories".

"Excellent" Gray said in approval, "Once you are finished designing the new personae, send the details to our undercover agent at the Kanto Branch of the Pokemon League. He's dealing with all the Team Rocket fake accounts and getting them through the security checks".

"Of course sir" Agent Urwin nodded.

"You two" Gray turned back to Jessie and James, "Are to follow Agent Urwin's orders as if they were my own, understood?"

"Understood" Jessie and James nodded.

"Good" Gray said gruffly.

With that, he cut the call, and the screen turned black.

Jessie and James turned to Agent Urwin, looking excited at the prospect of designing themselves entirely new identities.

They both grinned.

This was going to be fun.

* * *

Several hours later, when the dawn had finally broken, and it was a much more acceptable hour for people to be up and about; Professor Oak was sitting at his computer in his laboratory, analysing some data on his computer. It was some simply _fascinating_ information about the differences between two male Lickitung he was currently caring for at the lab for some travelling trainers.

Tracey was out in the grounds, giving all the pokemon that resided in the gardens their breakfast, with the help of Ash's Bulbasaur and some of the other pokemon that usually volunteered their assistance.

Professor Oak was so absorbed in his review of his data, that at first the good professor didn't even hear the doorbell ring.

It was only on the forth ring did the professor finally realise he had a visitor.

He glanced at the clock on the display of his computer monitor.

It read two minutes past eight.

A bewildered frown pulled at his lips.

"A visitor?" he said to himself in bewilderment, "At this hour?"

That was rather unusual.

His mind immediately turned to Ash and Misty. He remembered from the previous night that Ash had been disappointed at not being able to see his pokemon.

The boy _had_ said he'd swing by at some point today.

And if Ash had decided to come, it was practically a given that Misty would be accompanying him.

Those two were nigh inseparable.

But this was most unlike Ash. It simply wasn't in Ash's nature to be awake so early in the morning, let alone be prepared enough to come visit him at this time of day. And Misty was also quite thoughtful, and would point out to him that a visit at this hour might not be appreciated.

Of course, he was always glad to see the two youngsters, and enjoyed their company immensely, but nevertheless, he just couldn't quite imagine them arriving for their visit so early.

The answer to the man's musings was quite simple though.

It _wasn't_ Ash and Misty at his door.

When Professor Oak opened his front door, he found to his immense but extremely pleasant surprise that his visitor was not a friend, but in fact a family member he treasured very much.

Standing there under the Pallet sun, wearing his signature purple jumper and blue jeans, his hair fashioned into its usual messy mane of spiky brown hair, and his dark brown eyes looking excited and happy to be home, was the professor's grandson.

Gary Oak.

For a moment, the Professor just stared at the teenager in shock.

Then his face lit up with excitement as he registered who it was standing on his front door step.

"Gary!" the professor cried joyfully, "Welcome home my boy!"

Gary grinned up at him brightly.

It was more than apparent that the teenager was just as pleased to see the professor as Professor Oak was to see him.

"Hiya Grampa" Gary greeted.

The next thing the teenager knew, he was enveloped in a gigantic hug. Laughing happily when he realised what was happening, Gary gladly returned it.

"It's so good to see you" the Professor continued happily as they broke apart, "How's everything been going? Have you been taking care of yourself?"

"Ah, you know me Grampa, I'm always okay" Gary shrugged nonchalantly.

"So what are you doing here?" Professor Oak couldn't help but ask, "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm always happy to see you home. Its just you usually ring on ahead first".

Gary smiled up at him sheepishly.

"Ehehe... sorry Grampa. I know this visit is a little unexpected. I've just had a lot on my mind the last few weeks and forgot to call before coming back here" the brown-haired boy explained.

"A lot on your mind?" Professor Oak looked concerned, "Is there something troubling you? Perhaps I could help, if you tell me what it is?"

"It's nothing bad Grampa" Gary quickly assured the older man, "I... well, ehehe... Err, when I imagined telling you this, it wasn't on the front door step".

"Oh of course, silly me" the professor chuckled, "Come on in. We can talk properly in the sitting room".

The Professor stood aside and allowed his grandson to enter the laboratory.

Within two minutes, Gary had taken his seat in a plush armchair, and the professor was sitting opposite him.

Professor Oak leveled his grandson with an expectant look.

He wanted to know whatever it had been bothering his grandson, despite the boy's assurances it was nothing negative.

Family had always been important to the professor.

If there was something his grandson needed help with, then Professor Oak would see to it.

"So, what is it you wish to tell me, Gary?" he got straight down to business.

Gary looked up at him with excited eyes.

It was enough to ease Professor Oak of his worries, though only slightly.

"Before I tell you, I want you to know that this isn't something I just rushed into Grampa. It's something I've been thinking about for a while now" Gary told him.

Professor Oak raised a curious eyebrow.

"Okay, here goes..." Gary let out a breath, "I've decided to give up Pokemon Training, and become a Pokemon Researcher".

The professor was shocked in silence.

A part of him could almost feel his heart swelling with pride. He had often hoped that one of his grandchildren would follow in his footsteps and become a professor, striving to uncover some of the many mysteries surrounding the pokemon they shared the planet with.

Ever since the boy was a toddler, Professor Oak knew his grandson was destined for great things, and not just because he was biased towards his own flesh and blood. Gary had always been exceptionally bright for his age, and could retain almost any tiny piece of information given to him, stored and ready to use to his own convenience at any time in the future.

But other part of the professor was filled with uncertainty.

Gary was only thirteen years old, hardly a child anymore, but still so young. It was no age to be cooped up in a laboratory all the time. He should be out _there_ , seeing the world and having adventures.

After all, _seeing_ the world was the best way to learn about it.

The professor himself had given up pokemon training when he was only sixteen, and he had often contemplated whether or not he had done the right thing. Even all these years later, he still had doubts every now and then.

He didn't regret becoming a Pokemon Professor.

Not at all.

But sometimes... he just wished he'd got to have a few more adventures first.

It hadn't really hit home for the professor until after accepting a position as a Lab Assistant exactly what it was he would be giving up.

A sense of freedom.

Freedom to see the world, to experience new cultures, to surround himself with new pokemon, and to simply follow his heart, wherever it led him.

Only years later, when he had graduated and become the head of his own establishment did he feel that sense of freedom again, and the years between were long and challenging.

Did he really want his grandson going down the same path?

But did he have the right to try and persuade him otherwise however?

Professor Oak wasn't so sure.

 _No_.

Surely making it clear to Gary exactly what the sacrifice would be, and what this new path would entail, wasn't talking him out of his decision. It was simply... making sure he had all the facts.

Professor Oak heaved a heavy sigh.

He wasn't exactly sure how Gary was going to react hearing this.

But no.

His grandson _had_ to know.

Professor Oak loved him too much to let him walk into this blindly.

"Gary... I think there's a few things I ought to tell you first, before you make any decisions regarding this" the professor said slowly, wanting to be delicate.

"Huh?" Gary blinked, looking a little put-out that his Grampa wasn't more excited.

Professor Oak winced, but forced himself to continue.

This was too important _not_ to.

"Just let me talk. There's a few things I want to tell you about myself" Professor Oak said seriously, "About when _I_ first became a Pokemon Researcher".

Gary allowed himself to fall silent.

Regardless of his Grampa's less than overwhelming reaction, the boy was curious as to what the older man had to say.

Professor Oak mentally braced himself.

It was time to give his grandson a lesson.

A lesson about life itself.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of Pallet Town, Misty wandered into the kitchen of the Ketchum Residence, her hair still damp from her morning shower, and her clothes freshly laundered.

Mrs Ketchum took the absolute best care of her guests after all.

The woman in question was already awake and dressed, sitting at the kitchen table and reading the morning edition of the local newspaper.

When Misty entered, she looked up from the paper and smiled.

"Good morning Misty" Mrs Ketchum greeted kindly, "Did you sleep alright, dear?"

"Morning Mrs Ketchum, and yes, I slept just fine thank you" Misty smiled.

"Good" Mrs Ketchum returned it, folding up her paper and arising to her feet, "I was just about to start making breakfast. We'll be having a full fry-up. Is that okay?"

"That sounds delicious" Misty licked her lips hungrily, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Oh there's no need for that dear" Mrs Ketchum assured her, although she did appreciate the offer, "I'm sure that after all the travelling you've done recently, you could do with taking things easy".

As she said this, Mrs Ketchum crossed the kitchen to the refrigerator, and began pulling food out of it to prepare the breakfast.

"Well, I can't argue with that" Misty admitted as she took a seat at the table.

Whilst she adored the travelling and enjoyed the excitement that went hand in hand with it, she couldn't deny it took its toll after a while.

It would be nice to relax for a few days.

Misty watched as the older woman in the kitchen turned to the oven and grill and turned them on, and started preparing some bacon and sausages.

"So..." Mrs Ketchum glanced up from the food preparations to look at Misty, "Have you and Ash decided what your next move is going to be? Where you're going to go next?"

Misty herself had been wondering that very question.

In fact, the girl had decided last night that she was going to be having that very conversation with Ash later in the day.

It was important after all.

They both needed to make preparations, and for that, they needed a plan.

"To be honest Mrs Ketchum, Ash and I haven't really had enough time to talk about it yet" she eventually replied.

"I can understand that. Yesterday was probably more of a day to think about past adventures than future ones" Mrs Ketchum said sympathetically.

Misty's heart clenched in pain.

It hadn't even been twenty-four hours yet, but the emotional pain of Brock's farewell still threatened to overwhelm her.

"How are you handling it?" Mrs Ketchum asked in concern.

Misty sighed.

She _really_ didn't want to talk about this.

But Mrs Ketchum was only being kind, and the woman had always been so good to her, so Misty forced herself to give an honest answer.

"Not that great" the girl admitted, "I miss him. But I know that Brock will always be one of my best friends. And he promised me that I'd see him again. It's sad, and it hurts, but I understand why he had to leave".

Mrs Ketchum nodded sympathetically.

Sometimes it worried her just how mature Misty was.

But then, from what she had gathered, Mrs Ketchum knew that the girl's life hadn't always been easy, and she imagined that, along with the responsibility of being a gym leader, had forced her to grow up a little faster than most people her age.

It was sad, but also reality.

"Well, I think it says a lot about you to be able to look at it that way" Mrs Ketchum finally replied, a note of pride in her voice, "It takes a lot to be able to understand your friend's needs and motives, especially when they're sometimes hurtful towards yourself".

Misty silently nodded.

She honestly wasn't sure what she was meant to say to that.

Thankfully - before the moment got awkward - a most welcome distraction entered the kitchen.

Namely - Ash Ketchum and Pikachu.

And apparently, both of them were extremely hungry.

"Hi Mom, hi Misty" he greeted, before getting right down to business, "Did we miss breakfast?"

"Pika?" Pikachu squeaked.

"Good morning Honey" Mrs Ketchum beamed at her son, enjoying being able to start the day with him home once more, "And no, I'm just making it now".

"That's a relief" Ash said happily.

He took a seat at the table.

"So, what's on the agenda today?" Mrs Ketchum asked him.

"I still want to go see all my pokemon at the lab since I didn't get to see them last night" Ash reminded her, before turning to his best friend, "You want to come with me Misty?"

"Of course" she nodded, "I love going into Professor Oak's garden and seeing all the pokemon".

"Then it's settled" Ash nodded decisively, "We'll go straight after breakfast".

And that was exactly what they did.

After enjoying a fantastic meal provided by Mrs Ketchum, the two youngsters thanked her and invited her along. She was forced to decline however, since she had some chores that she and Mimey really needed to attend to.

It wasn't long before the two of them, along with Pikachu and Togepi, were making their way across Pallet Town.

"I can't wait to see their faces" Ash was saying happily as the headed up the driveway of Professor Oak's laboratory.

"Pika" Pikachu excitedly agreed.

"I'm sure they'll all be thrilled to see you again Ash" Misty said.

"Toge" Togepi chirped from her arms.

"I hope so" Ash replied, just as they reached the front door.

Misty shifted Togepi into the crook of one arm, before she raised her hand to knock on the door. Before she could strike the wooden surface however, there was the sound of loud shouting coming from inside.

 _Angry_ shouting.

Clearly there were people having an argument of some kind on the other side.

Suddenly, taking the two humans and two pokemon by surprise, the door burst open, and a figure ploughed straight through Ash and Misty after slamming the door shut again.

Ash and Misty quickly realised that it was Gary, and that he was anything but happy.

In fact, he looked downright _livid_.

"Gary!" Ash exclaimed in surprise.

Gary turned back to them.

His scowl quickly changed into a smile, albeit a strained one, when he realised who it was.

"Hi Ash, hi Misty" he greeted them warmly, "You here to see Grampa?"

If he noticed Brock's absence, he didn't comment on it.

But then Gary wasn't really the type to poke his nose into other peoples' business.

Either way, Misty was glad he hadn't brought it up.

She was getting tired of repeating the story of his departure again and again.

It hurt too much to constantly think about.

"Yeah" Ash nodded, "We stopped by yesterday to set up our new accounts - you know, the ones the league are making all trainers get?"

"Yeah, I set mine up a few days ago" Gary nodded.

"Well, by the time we were done, I didn't get a chance to say hi to any of my pokemon here" Ash explained.

"So we decided to come back today" Misty added, "Isn't that why you're here? Or were you just here to see your grandfather?"

Gary's face darkened at the mention of the man.

"Err... everything okay?" Ash blinked in confusion.

"Yeah" Gary said far too quickly, but then he slumped miserably, "No. I came here to tell my Grampa about my plans. You know, to become a Pokemon Researcher?"

"So... it didn't go well?" Misty assumed from his expression.

Gary sadly shook his head.

"Gramps doesn't think it's a good idea. He says I'm too young and should see more of the world first" Gary said bitterly, "That there will be plenty of time to become a researcher later".

Misty was surprised to say the least.

To her, Gary following in the professor's footsteps made a lot of sense.

He was one of the smartest trainers she knew.

Plus it was so unlike Professor Oak to talk someone out of pursuing a dream.

"Maybe he's right" Ash piped up.

Gary and Misty turned to him curiously.

"I mean, say you won a League Tournament, challenged and beat the region's Elite Four, defeated the Champion and were crowned the new one..." Ash elaborated, "Would you accept a desk job and start running an entire country's branch of the Pokemon League?"

"No" Gary immediately shook his head.

"Why not?" Ash questioned.

"Because I'd be bored rigid. I'd want to keep travelling and... _oh_ " Gary's eyes widened in realisation, before guilt set in.

He had blown up at his Grampa for trying to help him.

And now he felt like dirt.

The professor hadn't deserved his temper.

"Exactly" Ash nodded, "I mean, surely by travelling and continuing to train pokemon, you'd still learn tonnes about them. I know I have. And then you'd have more worldly experience to use when you finally _did_ become a Pokemon Researcher".

Gary couldn't help but see the logic in that.

"Maybe... I dunno" the brown haired boy shook his head.

"Perhaps you should just think about this whole thing a little more" Ash suggested helpfully, "I mean, if Professor Oak's words are getting to you this much, it sounds like you're still a little unsure".

Gary let out a low, tired sigh.

"But I _was_ sure before I talked to him" Gary grumbled, "Being a Pokemon Researcher is my dream, and it always will be. But at the same time, I'm good at pokemon training and I love it too".

Misty was pleased to see that he wasn't being arrogant about his abilities, just honest.

It was a far cry from the boy she'd met three years ago.

It seemed, like Ash and herself, Gary had also matured into a much better person.

"Perhaps the Professor knows that, and doesn't want to see you give it up before you have too?" Ash suggested.

Gary sighed, before he shrugged.

"Yeah, maybe" he said quietly, before sighing again, "I think I need to go have another long hard think about this. Somewhere quiet and alone. I'll see you guys later".

"Bye Gary" Misty smiled supportively at him, "I hope you manage to figure all this out".

"Yeah, me too" Ash added.

"Thanks guys" Gary smiled warmly at them.

He then turned and walked away.

As soon as the boy was out of sight, Misty turned and stared at Ash, her mouth slightly open.

"What?" Ash frowned when he saw her expression.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Ash Ketchum?" she asked.

"Huh?" Ash blinked.

"I'm just finding it difficult that _you_ of all people just said something incredibly insightful, and that you basically just talked your biggest rival into continuing with training pokemon" she teased sarcastically.

Ash rolled his eyes.

"None of that was based on my history with Gary" Ash stated firmly, being completely honest and serious, "Me and him are really good at the moment. I feel like we're finally becoming friends again, now that we've both deflated our egos. I was just trying to help him out".

"Well I'd say you managed that" Misty replied, all teasing aside, "It was good of you to do that, _especially_ considering your history".

"Like I said, I think we're finally becoming friends again" Ash smiled.

With nothing else to interrupt them, Ash knocked on the door.

A few moments passed by, but then the door opened again.

Standing in the doorframe was Professor Oak.

He seemed weary and disheartened.

His expression immediately told Misty that the man's disagreement with his grandson was weighing heavily on his mind.

Upon seeing his visitors however, Professor Oak perked up, and smiled down at them.

"Ah, good morning Ash, good morning Misty" he greeted them, "How's everything going this morning?"

"Great, thanks Professor" Misty smiled at him.

"We... err... we just saw Gary" Ash said carefully.

Professor Oak's shoulders slumped.

"I see" he said sadly.

"Do you really think he shouldn't become a Pokemon Researcher?" Misty found herself asking before she could stop herself.

Professor Oak looked surprised by the question.

"Of course not!" he cried, a little indignantly, "I have every confidence that Gary would make an exceptional scientist and professor!"

"He just seemed... I dunno... disappointed" Misty shrugged, "I thought the idea made a lot of sense when he told us what he was planning".

"It _does_ make sense" Professor Oak agreed, surprising Ash and Misty, "However Gary needs to remember that he is only thirteen, and he only gets _one_ chance at being young. He shouldn't waste that time in a laboratory. He should be out there, seeing the world and all its wonders. You only get one shot at life. You need to make it count. That's all I was trying to make him see... but, err... he kind of took it the wrong way. He said I didn't believe in him, but nothing could be further from the truth!"

"He knows that Professor" Ash assured him kindly, "You know what he's like. He was probably just blowing off steam and said some things in the heat of the moment".

Professor Oak let out a tired sigh.

It was only the morning, yet he felt completely drained and exhausted.

"I hope you're right Ash" the man finally said.

"Ash actually spoke to Gary about it, and I think he got through to him" Misty informed the professor, "Gary said he was going somewhere quiet to think about it some more".

Professor Oak looked both surprised and relieved to hear that.

"Really? He did" the man asked, eyebrows raised in shock, "Well, thank you my boy".

He beamed down at Ash.

Ash smiled modestly.

"It was the least I can do after everything you're always doing for me and my pokemon" the boy shrugged.

"Speaking of which, if I remember correctly, you still have to say hello to them" the Professor reminded them.

"I know" Ash nodded, "That's why we came here".

"Well then my family drama has probably kept you from reuniting with them for long enough" Professor Oak smiled sheepishly, "If you two want to head on through, I'll be out in a few minutes. There's a few things I need to attend to first".

Nodding their thanks, Ash and Misty stepped around him, quickly passed through the lab, and headed through the back door out into the grounds.

The instant Ash set foot out there was when it happened.

"AAAHHH!" he yelped as he was immediately pounced on.

Every single one of Ash's pokemon had eagerly been awaiting his arrival at the lab, and as soon as they spotted him, they all pounced.

Now he was being cuddled by all of them.

Misty was alarmed for a split second, but when she took in the sight before her, she did the only think she could think of.

She promptly burst out laughing.

* * *

A pleasant morning swiftly turned into a pleasant afternoon, as Ash reunited with all his pokemon. All of them were extremely excited to see him again. Plus many of his older pokemon were excited to either see his newer Johto pokemon again, or actually meet them for the first time. The only problem was, Ash couldn't seem to shake any of them, old or new, off of himself.

Now that their trainer was back for the time-being, none of the boy's pokemon were keen to let him leave their side again.

Admittedly, Ash wasn't trying very hard to usher them away.

In fact, all his efforts were half-hearted at best.

Ash couldn't help it though. He had missed them all just as much as they had all apparently missed him.

Eventually however, the excitement stirred by Ash's return to Pallet Town died down, and after what seemed like hours, the pokemon all dwindled away, returning to their usual daily activities.

It wasn't a moment too soon for Misty.

On absolutely no level was the girl trying to be mean, nor did she not want Ash to be reunited with all his pokemon friends. On the contrary, she was very happy to see Ash and all his pokemon so joyously reunited.

She simply wanted a moment alone with her best friend to talk to him.

And they had both been _so_ busy recently; what with the Silver Conference and then Brock's departure, that the two trainers had barely had two seconds alone together, nevermind enough time for a proper chat.

It was time for that to be rectified.

A serious question had been plaguing Misty's thoughts for days now, going around and around in her head, and she felt the time was finally ripe for her to get an answer to it.

Namely - what were they going to do now?

She had no doubts whatsoever that Ash would get bored of being back home within a week. And Misty could certainly relate to that feeling. Both of them lived for the open road. For the adventure. For the uncertainty.

But mostly, they lived for the freedom.

So when Misty finally got the chance to voice her desire for a private talk with Ash, the boy had naturally agreed to her request, and had promptly suggested that they go to his 'Secret Spot' - a place Ash was confident they would not be disturbed or overheard.

Relieved, Misty had agreed without hesitation.

But whatever it was that she was expecting, it wasn't what Ash led her to.

His 'Secret Spot' was nothing more than a knotted old oak tree, right on the border of the grounds of the laboratory. It was pretty well hidden, and silent. Not even a stray Caterpie or Weedle had found the tree to nest in, it was _that_ secluded.

Misty couldn't help the scoff that escaped her however when Ash proudly presented it.

"What?" Ash blinked at her.

"Nothing" she shook her head, eyes twinkling with amusement, "Just... err, I was kinda expecting something a little... _more_ than an old tree".

"For your information, I've been climbing this 'old tree' since I was in nappies" Ash told her, looking put-out that she was less-than-impressed, "You can see all of the gardens from up there. Heck, even the whole of Pallet Town, with nothing but the sky overhead. I've never brought anybody else here before".

"Well I'm flattered you decided to share it with me" Misty winked teasingly.

On the inside however, she _was_ quite pleased that Ash trusted her enough to show her one of his childhood haunts.

"Yeah, yeah" Ash grumbled, "Well, ladies first".

He gestured for her to start climbing the tree.

"Finally, you've learned some manners" she laughed good-naturedly, and Ash grinned.

Misty carefully transferred Togepi from her arms to her backpack, and then began climbing. Once she was almost half-way up, Ash began climbing too.

Within five minutes, the two best friends were sitting side by side on one of the tree's most upper branches.

On the branch above their heads, Togepi was sat looking around at the grounds below, whilst Pikachu kept a watchful eye on the youngster, making sure he didn't fall.

An awed gasp slipped Misty's lips as she took in the view.

Ash hadn't been lying.

She could see for miles and miles, and it was all so... well, _beautiful_.

Especially the warm blue sky.

It seemed practically alive with endless possibilities and opportunities.

"It's gorgeous" she whispered.

"Told ya so" Ash grinned victoriously, "So - what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

Misty paused, thinking about how best to word what she wanted to say.

"Us" she eventually replied in an honest tone, "I wanted to talk to you about what you want to do now. I mean, I'd obviously love to keep travelling, and of course I want to do that with you, but we haven't actually spoken about _where_ we'd travel too, if we continued together that is".

"Oh" Ash looked surprised.

Truth be told, he had been wondering that same thing himself.

Sometimes it scared him just how in tune with each other he and Misty were.

He supposed that just came with being best friends.

"Well?" Misty urged him.

"Well jeez Misty, _of course_ I still want us to travel together. It was hard enough saying goodbye to Brock... saying goodbye to _you_... well, let's face it, I'd probably end up crying" he chuckled.

Misty smiled fondly.

She knew if ever a time for her and Ash to part ways _did_ come, she certainly wouldn't be dry-eyed.

"I know" she said gently, not a trace of her usual teasing manner, "Me too".

There was a silent pause as the two friends smiled at each other.

Misty found herself staring into Ash's eyes.

She saw various different emotions she couldn't quite decipher flashing through those dark brown orbs of his.

Shaking herself out of it, Misty continued the conversation.

"So, any thoughts?" she asked, snapping Ash back to the present as well, "I mean, I'm all for a bit of downtime here in Pallet Town, but I know you Ash, and like me, it won't be too long before you're rearing to go again".

Ash laughed, knowing just how true that was.

But then again, Misty always could read him like a book, much to his infuriation at times.

"Well, personally I'd like to go to one of the other regions" Ash mused aloud, "I mean, we've already been through Kanto, the Orange Islands, and Johto, and all of them were great. One day I'd love to go around them all again, but for now... I think I want to go see something we've never seen before. What about you Misty? Isn't there anywhere _you_ want to go?"

Misty frowned, deep in thought.

"Well, I definitely agree with you on the whole 'seeing new things' thing" she said slowly, "Actually, I've been thinking a lot about Harrison".

"Harrison?" Ash blinked, not seeing what he had to do with this.

"Well, more specifically his pokemon. You know, his Blaziken and his Kecleon? Those were both pokemon that neither of us had ever seen before" she said, a mystified expression taking over her face, "I wanna go somewhere full of pokemon I've never met. I want to go somewhere brand new, where you and me will have lots of adventures, and lots of fun too".

Ash couldn't help but grin widely.

That _did_ sound pretty good.

He opened his mouth to reply, but the words on his lips never got the chance to be spoken.

At that exact moment, a most unearthly sound echoed down from the heavens.

It was like a primal scream of the sky itself. Like the sound of something racing on the north wind. Like a volcano exploding in a fierce rage. Like a clap of thunder and the crackling of lightning.

It was unlike anything Misty had ever heard before.

And it felt like the noise itself was washing through her, down and down to the very centre of her soul.

Suddenly she felt... well, she didn't really know.

Like she had just been filled with hope.

"What on earth was that?" Misty asked, looking around with wide awestruck eyes.

Ash, who had also experienced that most peculiar sensation, was also looking around for the source of the ethereal noise.

"Pika!" above them, Pikachu exclaimed and pointed his paw up at the sky.

"Toge!" Togepi was also looking up in amazement.

The two humans both mirror their pokemon's actions.

If either of them were expecting anything, it most certainly was _not_ what they saw.

For a moment, Misty simply stared at the being in the sky, unable to take in what it was she was actually seeing.

When it finally _did_ sink in, she did the only thing she could.

Her jaw dropped wide open.

Soaring through the skies was a massive bird that would easily stand at thirty feet tall if on the ground. Its powerful wings were a mixture of royal scarlet, snow white, and forest green; their colours easily definable, even from such a distance. A brilliant crest of the purest gold adorned its head, and a beak that looked lethally sharp extended from its face. The creature's shimmering eyes glowed with the power of a thousand suns.

The being was surrounded by a haze of astonishing light that shone with every colour of the rainbow, so brightly it was almost blinding. Its more subtle features could not be seen as a result of the intense light, but they didn't need to be.

Anybody looking up at the creature right now didn't really need to _see_ it.

They could _feel_ it.

A power unlike anything else.

The power of a god.

The power of _life_ itself.

"It... it can't be!" Ash gasped, utterly astounded.

Misty turned to him, her emerald eyes wide with amazement.

"What..." she couldn't finish her question.

She simply turned her eyes back to the spectacular being in the sky, her words and thoughts lost in favour of observing its glorious beauty.

Ash seemed to know what she had been trying to ask him, and was able to provide the answer.

"It's Ho-Oh!" he managed to stutter out, completely flabbergasted.

The ethereal being in the sky let out another shrieking cry, and Misty was rendered speechless.

Words couldn't do that creature justice, she decided.

Beautiful seemed _cheap_ if used to describe such a natural wonder.

She and Ash continued to stare at Ho-Oh for several long, blissful moments before Misty was able to find her voice again.

"That's really Ho-Oh?" she couldn't help but ask, "And you saw it on the day that we first met?".

Ash, still practically speechless himself, could only nod in response.

"Whoa..." Misty breathed in awe, "It looks... _different_ , to how I imagined it. When Morty and Eusine told us about it... well, let's just say my imagination didn't do it any justice at all. It's so... I don't even know what the word is!"

She let out a breathless laugh.

They watched as the legendary pokemon crossed the sky, leaving light trailing behind it, like stardust.

It was an amazing moment, an experience Misty would remember for the rest of her life. She was so glad that she got to share such a wondrous moment with Ash.

There was no one she'd rather have shared that with.

"I wonder where its headed..." Ash eventually managed to say.

"If you go in that direction in a straight line, you'd eventually reach the Hoenn region" Misty told him, "I bet that's where Ho-Oh is headed".

They watched for a few more seconds, but then Ho-Oh passed through some clouds, and vanished from sight.

All that was left behind was a single lingering rainbow.

That, and the feeling of hope resonating through Ash's and Misty's hearts like a warm glow.

Neither of them said a single word.

Ash just looked at the sky for another moment, then turned to face Misty.

There was a massive grin on his face.

Misty didn't even need to ask him to know what he was thinking.

She grinned too, and nodded her agreement.

It appeared that their next destination had just been decided.

* * *

That evening, Mrs Ketchum absolutely outdid herself at dinner. What with so many special guests back in Pallet Town, she had prepared a small feast. Naturally in addition to herself, Ash and Misty, Mrs Ketchum had invited Professor Oak, Gary, and Tracey.

All six of them were currently sitting at the table, all of them tucking into Mrs Ketchum's delicious home-cooking.

At first, Misty had felt a dejected pang in her heart when Gary, who had managed to calm down and had apologised to his grandfather, sat in Brock's usual seat, but she quickly pushed those feelings aside.

Tonight was a night to have some fun.

Not wallow in sadness.

"So..." Mrs Ketchum said after swallowing a mouthful of delicious food, "What did you kids get up to today?" she asking, aiming this at Ash, Misty and Gary.

Misty shared a secretive smile with Ash.

She hadn't told any of the others about seeing the legendary Ho-Oh, and neither had Ash.

Misty knew that he wasn't going to either.

That had been a moment strictly between them.

One they would both cherish.

When neither Ash nor Misty replied, Gary piped up.

"I went out by the river to think" he stated.

"The river where we both fished up the pokeball?" Ash couldn't help asking.

Gary nodded in confirmation.

"I can think out there" the brown haired boy said, "And I've decided that my Grampa's right. I still have some much I want to do, and even though being a Pokemon Researcher is my dream, there's some stuff I can only learn by going out there and seeing the world".

"I'm glad to hear that" Professor Oak smiled softly at his beloved grandson.

"And I'm sorry again, you know, about losing my temper" Gary said sheepishly.

"It happens to the best of us. You're forgiven and its forgotten" the professor said kindly.

"Anyway, I've decided that since I'm going to continue my training, I want to go somewhere I've never been before, and where everything's brand new" Gary continued, looking excited now, "So I've decided I'm heading to the Hoenn region!"

As soon as he made this announcement, Ash and Misty turned to each other incredulously.

Then they burst out laughing.

"What? What's so funny?" Gary asked, a little indignantly as they appeared to be mocking him.

"Beats me" Tracey blinked in confusion.

"Ash? Misty?" Mrs Ketchum was bewildered as well, "I think you need to let us in on the joke".

"Sorry Gary" Misty apologised, "It's just... that's a really _huge_ coincidence".

"What is?" Gary demanded to know.

"Misty and I have been talking, and we want to see new things too" Ash explained for everyone's benefit, "Which is why _we're_ going to go travel the Hoenn region too".

"Ah, that's wonderful" Professor Oak looked pleased.

"I guess this means that Ash and Gary are still going to be each other's rival" Tracey noted, looking amused.

"Yeah, but at least we're friendly rivals now, right Ash?" Gary smiled at the boy in question.

"Right" Ash beamed back at him.

Misty couldn't help but be a little proud of both of them.

It was so nice to see them being nice to each other, their hostility finally put aside.

"I guess now the only thing to sort out is when you'll all be going" Mrs Ketchum piped up.

"You're more than welcome to join us on the trip out there Gary" Misty offered kindly, "We had a quick look on the internet earlier, and we found a ship with available tickets setting off in a week's time from now. We're thinking about leaving then".

"And if you want too, you could travel around Hoenn with us" Ash suddenly offered.

 _That_ shocked everyone.

Whilst they all knew that things were much, _much_ better between the two boys now, none of them had ever expected Ash to come up with the idea of travelling with his long-time rival.

"Thanks for the offer Ash, but I think I'll pass" Gary said, genuinely appreciating the offer and sincerely apologetic about turning it down, "There's a lot of things I need to sort out first before I leave, and it's going to take much longer than a week. I really appreciate the offer though, and I'll definitely meet up with you guys at some point whilst we're all out there".

"Well, if you're sure" Ash shrugged, a little disappointed but understanding.

"It would have been nice to have you with us, but if you really have things to do, we understand" Misty added.

Part of her wondered if Ash asking Gary to come with them had something to do with Brock leaving.

Like he was trying to fill a hole.

She shook her head.

Ash would never used someone in that manner.

She was sure he was just trying to be kind.

"Thanks Misty" Gary said gratefully, "But like I said, we'll all definitely meet up at some point in Hoenn".

"I'm sure you'll all have a wonderful time out there" Mrs Ketchum said brightly, "I kind of wish _I_ was going".

"Me too" the Professor agreed.

Misty couldn't help the excited grin that lit up her face as she thought about what awaited them in the Hoenn Region.

She tried to imagine what types of new pokemon they'd meet.

What adventures they would have.

It was all so exhilarating, and her heart was pounding with excitement.

She was almost disappointed that they'd have to wait a week.

It was going to be excruciating.

But Misty had no doubt that in the end, the wait would be worth it.

Only one thing was certain.

With Ash by her side, this new adventure was going to nothing less than _fantastic_.

* * *

 **Wow!**

 **So much happened in this chapter, and there wasn't really much action in it at all : )**

 **Like I said before, ending this 'episode' was mostly just about setting up for the future and tying some stuff up.**

 **Yay! Gary is going to continue being a Pokemon Trainer!**

 **Now realistically, I can't imagine Professor Oak saying the stuff he did in this chapter. I think his character would be behind Gary completely and would always support him. But me, being the selfish writer that I am, wanted Gary in Hoenn as a long-term friendly rival to Ash, and thus I was forced to write the professor a little out of character to make that happen : )**

 **Plus I need Gary in Hoenn because... well, there's a special plan in my mind involving him. I can't guarantee it'll happen, but if it does, I'll tell you guys in an author's note : )**

 **Now it's time to play the game : )**

 **Firstly - congratulations to Pokesean, Breakawayfan, Reppad98, Pokemon Trainer Tom, FireEmblemMaster101, RHatch89, Magic135, Kurakuma, AtomicGeneral25, KuramaFTW, OmniDragon10, Guest, and UltimateCCC - the correct answer was indeed Stantler.**

 **Better luck next time to SPeCTeR-117 and Sesshoru, who both guessed Corsola, NaturoMagi17 and LovingGinger30, who both guessed Smeargle, and Deant33, who guessed Gastrodon.**

 **WHO'S THAT POKEMON?**

 **This pokemon is rumoured to nest where lightning has struck. It's beautiful mane can discharge lightning, which accidently starts forest fires. Thunderclouds are created over its diamond shaped head, and it has already evolved into its final form. However it recently gained the ability to Mega-Evolve.**

 **And there we go : )**

 **I hope that you all enjoyed this extra long chapter, and please leave a review : )**

 **Until the next time, keep on reading : )**


	4. Hoenn, But Not Alone - Part 1

**Hi everyone : ) I'm sorry about the delay, however this time it honestly isn't my fault. Some idiot builders have been messing on with the road on my street, and one of them accidently sliced through my house's internet cable or whatever it's called. Yeah, no internet and no phones for over a week : ( I was absolutely fuming, but yay! It was finally fixed today, so here's the next chapter : )**

 **Now, hopefully things should start to pick up a little after this chapter.**

 **So far all of the chapters in the new version of the story just feel like they're setting future stuff up, and to be honest, this chapter is like that too, but I think some people will like that I've taken the liberty of changing something a lot of people think was really stupid in the anime.**

 **Also, the next chapter should hopefully follow the anime episode a little bit more than I've been doing so far. This is supposed to still be a rewrite, not a complete AU ; )**

 **But enough about that. I want to say a massive thank you for all the reviews the last chapter got, and please remember that Pokemon is not mine : )**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter : )**

* * *

 **Hoenn, But Not Alone**

* * *

 **Hoenn, But Not Alone - Part 1**

* * *

Misty's initial assumption had been proven correct.

The next seven days in Pallet Town _had_ passed excruciatingly slowly.

She really had tried to fill in the days - helping Mrs Ketchum whenever she could around the house, and even lending a hand with the pokemon at Professor Oak's laboratory, but it still wasn't enough.

Within two days, Misty had been _bored_.

She tried not to let it show, but she just couldn't help it.

Domestic bliss just wasn't for her.

Like Ash, Misty lived for the adventure and adrenaline that went hand-in-hand with travelling.

On the road, Misty _loved_ the fact that no two days were ever quite the same.

So being stuck in one place for a week... well, it almost felt like time had stopped.

Or had been put on a loop.

Everyday the same.

Everything in a routine.

It was enough to have her climbing the walls.

Misty was very relieved that she and Ash had managed to secure tickets on the earliest voyage to the Hoenn Region.

If she spent much longer trapped in one place, she was going to go completely insane.

Finally however - and not a moment too soon for Misty - the day when they would finally be leaving dawned upon them.

So naturally, Misty was in very high spirits that morning.

The orange-haired girl was currently in the guest bedroom of the Ketchum Residence, that Mrs Ketchum had been kind enough to let her use for the duration of her stay in Pallet Town. Misty was packing up the last of her possessions that had somehow made their way around the room.

She was just folding some clothes and placing them in her backpack, when Togepi began to stir awake from his position on the bed.

"Toge?" he blinked drowsily.

He was looking around for Misty.

Well, looking for his _mother_ from the young pokemon's perspective.

"Well good morning Togepi" Misty smiled, picking up the infant and hugging him in greeting, "Did you sleep okay?"

"Toge" Togepi nodded.

"That's good. You'll need it. We have a very big day ahead of us today" Misty told the little pokemon, "Today's the day we're finally going to the Hoenn Region. Are you excited?"

"Toge!" Togepi giggled a happy affirmative.

"Me too" Misty laughed, "I bet we're going to meet all sorts of new people and pokemon, and make lots of new friends too".

"Toge" Togepi sure liked the sound of that.

"Well, I think that's everything" Misty said, looking around the room one last time to check she hadn't missed anything, "I'm kind of glad to be leaving. Mrs Ketchum's a really great host, and I have enjoyed being around her and Professor Oak and Tracey and Gary again, but I'm getting kinda bored being in the same place all the time".

"Toge" Togepi agreed.

"But by tonight, we're going to be in a whole new region" Misty couldn't help but grin at the thought of it, "Now, what do you say we go see if Ash is ready for the day ahead?"

"Toge" Togepi nodded.

He then hopped down from her arms, landing gracefully on the floor.

"Huh?" Misty blinked, watching him curiously.

The infant pokemon then proceeded to toddle off towards the door.

"You wanna lead the way huh?" she giggled.

"Toge" Togepi nodded happily.

"Well okay" Misty laughed, gesturing towards the door, "I'll be right behind you".

Misty quickly zipped up her backpack and slung it over her shoulder.

"Toge!" Togepi happily toddled off down the hall with Misty following.

When the small pokemon reached Ash's closed bedroom door, he pushed against it with all his strength, but Togepi was just too small to open it.

"Toge" he whined at Misty, pointing towards the door.

"Okay little guy, I've got it" she smiled.

Misty approached the door and knocked on it.

"Come in" she heard her best friend's voice reply.

Misty pushed open the door, and found to her immense surprise that Ash was sitting at his desk, reading through some papers.

The orange-haired girl raised an eyebrow.

Truth be told, she had half-expected her friend to still be snoring in his bed, and that she'd have to wake him up.

So to find him apparently all ready to go and waiting for her, well it was very unusual.

Out of the two of them, Misty was the early riser after all.

Ash glanced over his shoulder, and smiled.

"Morning Misty, morning Togepi" he greeted them.

"Good morning" Misty said, looking confused, "Err... what are you doing up so early? I kinda thought I'd be waking you up".

Ash chuckled in amusement.

"I've been up for ages" he informed her, enjoying her surprised reaction, "I've been reading through all this data the professor gave me".

Misty nodded as understanding dawned on her.

For the past three days, Ash had been having somewhat of a dilemma.

It was really all Gary's fault.

Well, perhaps _fault_ wasn't the right word.

It was more like Gary had put the idea into Ash's head.

Three days ago, Ash and Misty had been visiting the laboratory with Mrs Ketchum and Mr Mime. That in itself wasn't unusual, since they tried to pop in at least once every day. But it was the subject of conversation that had started this whole thing off.

And that subject was of Ash's pokemon team.

To put it simply, Ash had come up with the idea of leaving all of his pokemon save for Pikachu at Professor Oak's laboratory, claiming that he wanted to start this new journey exactly as he had the very first time he had left Pallet Town, the day he had first became a trainer.

Personally, Misty thought that was a really stupid idea.

And she'd had no problem with telling him so.

Naturally, Ash hadn't been happy to hear that, and so an argument had broken out. Misty and Ash had bickered for nearly twenty minutes before Professor Oak piped up and told them that the best way of resolving the matter was by calmly discussing their views on the subject.

Ash had then explained exactly why he wanted to start afresh.

He felt that after failing to win two major league tournaments, he needed to change his approach to pokemon training, and what better way to do that then by starting all over again from the very beginning.

Misty had scoffed loudly at that.

She then went on to point out that winning tournaments wasn't the most important factor in this matter. Ash was a pokemon trainer, and by definition, that mean he was supposed to train plural pokemon - not just Pikachu. She felt that him leaving all but one of his pokemon at the lab was unfair to them and she'd told him as such.

Needless to say, Ash hadn't been too happy to hear that.

Professor Oak had said that he thought Misty had more of a point than Ash did, with Mrs Ketchum, Tracey, and Gary all nodding in agreement.

Misty had then brought up the issue of Team Rocket constantly trying to steal Pikachu.

How exactly was Ash planning on getting him back if he didn't have any of his other pokemon to help him?

Ash had looked horrified at that thought.

It was more than obvious that those three and their wicked plots hadn't even entered Ash's mind when he came up with this half-baked idea of his.

Tracey had then reminded Ash that he didn't know what he'd be facing in the Hoenn Region, and that any pokemon he might catch early on was unlikely to be a particularly strong one. The safest option for him was to have more than just one of his stronger pokemon with him.

Mrs Ketchum had been all for that.

She wanted her baby safe and sound at all times, thank you very much.

After nearly an hour of discussing it, Ash had finally conceded that taking only Pikachu was not just a bad idea, but a terrible one.

Misty had been apologetic over been so hard on him, but stated that she was only thinking of him and what was best all around for his pokemon.

That was when Gary had added his input for the first time.

He had said that since Ash had already travelled through three regions - Kanto, the Orange Islands, and Johto - that perhaps he ought to try doing something he'd never done before.

He suggested that Ash form a new travelling team with the pokemon he already had.

Ash had paused at that suggestion.

Then he had smiled.

That actually worked out pretty good for both sides of the argument. It would be a whole new experience for Ash, particularly if he used some of his pokemon that hadn't worked together before, and he would still be safe in most situations, plus Pikachu would have backup in case it was ever required.

Ash had agreed to Gary's solution, so to help him with his choices, Professor Oak had printed off all the data he had on each of Ash's pokemon, and had given a small stack of paper to the boy to help him make informed decisions.

And so on each day following their discussion, Ash had devoted a portion of his time to trying to decide exactly which pokemon he wanted to take with him to the Hoenn Region.

Now it made sense why Ash was awake so early.

He was obviously trying to finish making his decision about which six pokemon to take with him to the Hoenn Region.

"So, have you managed to narrow it down yet?" Misty asked him, "Which six I mean".

"I've got five of the places on my team picked out" Ash informed her, "So just one more to go".

He let out a sigh, and turned back to his data.

"Well which five are they?" Misty couldn't help but ask, "If you tell me, perhaps I could help you, or at least give you my opinion on which of your pokemon would work well with the other five".

Ash looked up at her hopefully.

"Really?" he asked, grinning at her, "Thanks a lot Misty. I'm really struggling to make a decision, so any input would be greatly appreciated right now".

Misty smiled.

"So which five pokemon have you decided on?" Misty asked, "I take it Pikachu's a given".

"Sure is" Ash nodded with a smile, "I'm not going anywhere without him".

"Pika!" Pikachu, who was sitting on the bed, looked happy to hear that.

"So what about the other four?" Misty asked.

She had to admit, she was quite curious to see who Ash would pick.

Misty herself had briefly entertained the idea of calling her sisters in Cerulean City, and getting them to transport her Starmie and Horsea back to her active team.

In the end however, the orange-haired girl had decided that, for now at least, she'd leave her team as it was.

When she captured some new pokemon in the Hoenn Region, then she would see about switching her team around.

"Well, my first choice next to Pikachu is Bulbasaur" Ash told her.

He handed her one of his papers, and Misty saw a photograph of Ash's Bulbasaur on it, with all of his statistics and known moves listed on it.

"Bulbasaur?" Misty couldn't help but question, "But I thought that Professor Oak needed him as an ambassador between the pokemon at the lab?"

"I spoke to the professor about that" Ash informed her, "And I told him about an idea I had, which he says he thinks will work. Since the day before yesterday, I've had Bulbasaur teaching Bayleef everything she needs to know about the laboratory's grounds, as well as acting as an ambassador between the pokemon. That way, I can freely switch between Bulbasaur and Bayleef whenever I want, and the professor will still have a pokemon ambassador to help him around the lab".

Misty was surprised by the level of thought Ash had clearly put into this.

He certainly seemed to be taking this seriously.

"That's a great idea Ash" Misty complimented her friend, who looked pleased with himself, "I think that Bayleef will do a great job. How did she take it though, when you told her she wasn't coming with you to Hoenn?"

Ash sighed tiredly.

"Not great, but I promised her that I'd switch her in from time to time, and she seemed to calm down a bit" Ash informed her, "Plus I told her I was really depending on her to be a good ambassador and help Professor Oak out".

"And let me guess, since you told her she'd be helping you out, she was more eager to do it?" Misty guessed, grinning.

"Yep" Ash nodded happily.

"Well I think it's a good fit, and she'll do well at it" Misty said, "Plus, this means that you can bring Bulbasaur back whenever you want too, which can only help your team out since he's a really strong pokemon, he knows a lot of different moves, and has good leadership skills".

"Exactly" Ash nodded, before shuffling through his papers, "Anyway, after Bulbasaur, my next choice was Tauros".

Misty was even more surprised by that choice.

"Why one of your Tauros?" she couldn't help but ask, "Don't get me wrong, I'm sure they're all great, but you've never taken any of them out on the road with us before".

"That's exactly the reason why I'm doing it" Ash explained, "When I was talking to him about it, Professor Oak suggested that I should think about maybe taking some of the pokemon I've never travelled with before. Since then, I haven't been able to stop thinking about how much of a new learning experience it would be for me".

"I can understand that" Misty nodded in agreement, "Plus, since you captured them, you have a responsibility to dedicate some of your time to training them as well".

Ash sighed sadly.

"I know. I haven't been a very good trainer to Kingler, Muk, and my Tauros. I captured them, brought them here, and haven't even bothered with training them" Ash said, sounding ashamed and disappointed with himself.

Misty let out a sympathetic sigh.

She really didn't like it when Ash talked down about himself.

"Well, I can't really argue with that, since it's true" Misty told him, "But just because you haven't been the best trainer in the past, doesn't mean you can't do better by them in the future".

"Exactly" Ash agreed, perking up a little, "Which is why I decided on Tauros. I plan to switch Kingler and Muk in later on too, so that they all get some travelling time with me".

"Good" Misty nodded, "So which Tauros are you taking?"

"The same one I always use whenever I use a Tauros" Ash told her, "The leader of the herd".

"Strong choice" Misty commented, "Plus you already have a bond with him, so he should listen to you without too much trouble".

"Right, so that's Pikachu, Bulbasaur and Tauros. My forth choice is Cyndaquil. I really want to put in some work with him, maybe even get him to evolve if I can".

Misty smirked.

"Ah! You liked how powerful Charizard has grown, huh?" she guessed with a grin, "And since Cyndaquil is another fire starter pokemon, you're thinking he could be another real powerhouse for your team if he evolves?"

Ash grinned at her.

"Guilty as charged" he laughed, "Yeah. I think if I can get him up to par with Charizard, I have a good shot of winning the Hoenn League. Plus another super strong fire type would really be useful if there're any grass, bug, or ice type pokemon I want to catch in Hoenn".

"Can't argue with that, but please don't catch too many bug types" Misty grimaced at the thought.

"I can't promise that" Ash chuckled.

Misty let out a playful mock-groan.

"Okay, so that's four" she got them back on track, "What about number five?"

"Number five was tricky, and _might_ turn out to be a bad idea, but I'm willing to take the risk" Ash told her firmly.

Misty looked confused.

"Oh?" she said slowly.

She wasn't sure she liked the sound of where this was going.

"It's Snorlax" Ash told her.

Misty couldn't help but run a hand down her face in exasperation.

"Ash, you _know_ how unreliable Snorlax can be!" she complained.

"I know, I know" Ash sighed, "Snorlax isn't the most dependable of pokemon, but he does usually come through when I need him too".

"Ash, I know that Snorlax's heart is in the right place, but surely you haven't forgotten all the times you've sent him into battle and he's been asleep" Misty tried to reason with him, "Plus there's the fact that you sometimes have a little trouble keeping him under control".

"I know, but the only way me and Snorlax will get better is if we put in some work together" Ash countered.

"I can see the logic in that Ash, but aren't you forgetting something else? Like the fact that when Snorlax was last on the road with us, we had _real_ trouble keeping him fed?" Misty was forced to remind him of that fact.

"I actually already have a solution to that part" Ash told her, grinning now.

"What, you're going to hire a truck full of food to drive around after us all the time?" Misty asked sarcastically.

"No. Professor Oak has been working on a small project regarding Snorlax, and he's finally come up with a way of keeping a Snorlax's appetite satisfied, without the need for a small mound of food at each meal" Ash told her.

Misty raised a curious eyebrow at that.

"Go on" she urged.

Ash shuffled some stuff around on the mess he called a desk, and finally held up a small gadget that Misty had never seen before. It was a small silver device, with colourful cubes inside it and a small button on the side of it.

"What's that thing?" Misty asked curiously.

"This" Ash said, toying with the device, "Is a Pokeblock Case".

"A what?" Misty blinked in confusion, having never heard of such a thing.

"A Pokeblock Case" Ash repeated, before elaborating, "Pokeblock isn't really a thing here in Kanto. It's a Hoenn thing mostly, but when I told Professor Oak I was thinking about taking Snorlax with me, he helped me out by giving me one of the cases he had".

"H-hold on" Misty held up a hand to stop him, "Go back a bit. What exactly is 'Pokeblock' and what does it have to do with Snorlax?"

"I'd never heard of it either before the professor explained it to me" Ash smiled at her, "You see, in the simplest of terms, Pokeblock is food".

Misty raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Those cubes are food?" she eyed the gadget in Ash's hand, "They don't look very appetising to me" she dryly commented.

"That's exactly what I said" Ash laughed, "But they're more like snacks than actual meals. A pokemon couldn't live off them, not healthily at least".

"So... how exactly does that help with Snorlax and the amount of food we'd need to carry around then?" Misty just couldn't see the logic in this.

She had a feeling Ash was leaving something important out.

Moments later, she was proved right.

"Oops!" Ash chuckled to himself, "I suppose I should have worded that better. Pokeblock are snacks to a usual pokemon, but for Snorlax, they're going to act a little differently".

Misty raised an eyebrow, but didn't interrupt.

"Remember I said that Professor Oak has been working on a project regarding Snorlax?" he asked, continuing once Misty had nodded, "Well, he's managed to come up with this amazing recipe, so that this tiny cube basically expands when Snorlax eats one. Basically, one piece of Snorlax Pokeblock equals three hundred kilograms of regular pokemon food".

Misty's mouth fell open in shock.

It was a little hard to believe that such a thing could exist.

But, if anybody could create such a thing, it would be Professor Oak.

The man was a genius with pokemon after all.

"So... with this Pokeblock stuff, you only need to carry around a small cube, instead of a tonne of food?" Misty asked to be clear.

"Exactly" Ash beamed, "Which means that feeding Snorlax whilst we're out on the road shouldn't be a problem. Professor Oak gave me the recipe, and taught me how to make it, so I should be able to make it myself when I need too".

"Well, I'm still not convinced that Snorlax is the right choice" Misty argued, "And have you taken into account that you're going to have two of the same type on your team? Tauros and Snorlax are both normal types remember".

"So? Your team is all water types except for Togepi, and you're still a tough trainer to beat" Ash refuted.

"Fair enough. It's your choice Ash, but I have to say, I think putting Snorlax on your team is quite a risky move" she told him honestly.

"I know it is" Ash agreed, "But I believe that if I can finally get a true handle on Snorlax, he'll one day be unstoppable in battle".

"If you say so" Misty shrugged, "So, you said you were stuck on number six. Have you had any thoughts about it?"

"Well, the other pokemon I have are Bayleef, Totodile, Kingler, Muk, Heracross, Noctowl, and Phanpy" Ash listed on his fingers.

"That's not true" Misty shook her head, "You also have Charizard and Squirtle".

"No" Ash immediately shook his head, "I'm not taking either of them. Charizard is settled at the Charicific Valley. He's making good progress there, but he still isn't the strongest he can be yet. It's best for him to stay there until he's accomplished what he wants too. Then if he wants to return to me full-time, he can, and he can come a live here in Pallet Town at the lab".

"Fair enough" Misty shrugged, "What about Squirtle?"

"The Squirtle Squad needs him too much at the moment. You saw what happened to them without my Squirtle to lead them. They started falling apart as a team. Plus, think of all the good work he'll do as a fire-fighter. Maybe one day, if there comes a time when The Squirtle Squad can do without him again, and he wants to come back. But until then, I think it's best Squirtle stays where he is".

"Okay, I get it" Misty nodded, "Right, well first of all, you said Bayleef is going to be taking over as an ambassador for Bulbasaur, so you can cross her off the list".

"Okay" Ash nodded.

He placed the paper with Bayleef's data on it to the side.

"And personally, although this is just my opinion, but I think that since you're taking Bulbasaur with you, perhaps you shouldn't take Muk with you".

"Huh?" Ash blinked.

He couldn't see what him taking Bulbasaur with him had to do with Muk potentially being on his team.

"Remember Ash, Bulbasaur isn't just a grass type pokemon. He's also a poison type pokemon" Misty reminded him, "I know that type advantages and disadvantages aren't always deciding factors in a battle, but I think it could only serve you well to have as many different types of pokemon on your team as possible".

"That's a good point" Ash agreed, "Okay, so that's a no to Muk, for the time being at least. I'm planning on switching all my pokemon around a lot more than I have been doing. It's like you said - it's only fair to them after all".

"That's right" Misty agreed, pleased he had taken her words on-board, "So that leaves Kingler, Heracross, Noctowl, Totodile, and Phanpy".

"And I can think of good reasons to take every single one of them" Ash groaned, rubbing his temples as he felt a headache building behind his eyes.

"Well, I personally think you would benefit from a water type on your team" Misty said.

Ash couldn't help but laugh.

"That's shocking, coming from you" he grinned at her.

Misty laughed too.

"Okay, so I may be biased, but I mean it" she smiled, "Maybe you should take Kingler or Totodile. Water types allow a trainer to have some variation on the types of fields they can battle on".

"That's true" Ash mused aloud.

Truth be told, he haven't even considered the different types of fields he may have to battle on.

"What were you thinking?" Misty asked him.

"Well, part of me thinks I should take Noctowl" Ash told her honestly, "I mean, how many times have we been in a position where we have to search from the sky for something?"

"Too many" Misty grumbled, "Usually because Team Rocket stole Pikachu again".

"Exactly" Ash nodded, "But then part of me thinks I should take Heracross. We didn't spend all that much time together on the road, and since he is both a bug type and a fighting type, I think it'll really give my team some diversity".

"That also makes a lot of sense" Misty agreed.

"And then there's Phanpy" Ash continued, "He's not very old, and he might think I've abandoned him if I don't take him with me. Plus he's a ground type, so again, he would add variety to my team".

"That's another good point" Misty sighed, "I can see why you've been struggling with this. There are pros and cons to taking all of them. I do have one thing to say though".

"What is it?" he asked her curiously.

"Well, I never thought I'd ever say something like this, but perhaps you should consider Heracross" Misty said.

Ash's jaw dropped.

He was sure he had just heard that wrong.

Had Misty Waterflower actually just advised him to take a _bug_ type pokemon around with them?!

"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard that properly" Ash shook his head, "Did _you_ of all people just suggest I take a _bug_ pokemon with me?"

"Ha. Ha" Misty scowled at him, "Yes, I know it's surprising, but I did say that. Like you said, Heracross' typings would give your team diversity. But more than that, Heracross can fly around, just like Noctowl can. Okay, maybe not as high or as well, nor can he stay airbourne for as long, but he can still do it".

"Okay... so that would make him a better choice in the long-run than Noctowl" Ash nodded.

"Also, by being able to fly, or at least hover, Heracross would be able to fight on a water field, because there would have to be somewhere for him to land every now and then" Misty explained, "All league water fields are required to have at least one patch of land on each trainer's side of the field. Its so that non-aquatic pokemon can still be used to battle".

"Okay, so that makes Heracross a better choice than Kingler and Totodile too" Ash nodded in agreement, "But what about Phanpy? I means, he's still so little, and I don't want him to think I've abandoned him".

"Oh Ash, I'm sure Phanpy won't think that" Misty assured him, "Don't forget; Noctowl, Bayleef and Totodile would all be at the lab with him, and they would make sure Phanpy understood that you would always come back for him. Plus they'd make sure he didn't forget about you whilst we're on the road".

"That's true" Ash was forced to admit.

"Well, it's your decision in the end Ash, but I hope what I've said has helped" Misty smiled at him.

"No it has, it really has" Ash grinned up at her, "Thanks a lot Misty".

"No trouble" Misty winked, "But you'd better get a move on. We need to be ready in just over an hour if we're going to make it to the ship on time. Remember, Gary said he'd have his Alakazam teleport us all there".

"Okay" Ash nodded, "If you want to head downstairs, I'll be down in a few minutes. I just need a little longer to make my last decision".

"Alright" Misty nodded.

The orange-haired girl then scooped up Togepi, and headed out of the room.

She just hoped she had been of some help to her friend.

* * *

When Misty headed downstairs and entered the living room, she wasn't surprised to see Professor Oak, Tracey, and Gary sitting with Mrs Ketchum, whilst Mr Mime served them all tea and coffee.

"Morning" she greeted them all.

"Toge" Togepi waved at them all too.

"Good morning Misty and Togepi" Mrs Ketchum chirped, whilst the others all greeted her as well.

Misty took one of the remaining seats, and Mr Mime hurried over to her.

"Mime?" the psychic type asked, holding up the tea set.

"None for me, thank you Mr Mime" she said.

"Mime, mime" he nodded, before rushing off into the kitchen.

"So Misty, have you any idea about what you and Ash are going to do first when you arrive in the Hoenn Region?" Professor Oak asked politely, before taking a sip of his tea.

"Well, our ferry docks in Littleroot Town, but we looked it up online, and Ash needs to go to the Pokemon Centre in Oldale Town to register for the Hoenn League. I suppose that's the first thing we'll need to do" Misty explained.

"Well, if you're goint to Littleroot Town, before leaving, perhaps you should go meet Professor Birch and introduce yourselves to him" Professor Oak suggested.

"Professor Birch?" Tracey frowned in deep thought, "Isn't he the guy that's famous for the way he conducts his research out in the field?"

"Yeah" Gary nodded before Professor Oak could reply, "He's also in charge of giving out the Hoenn starters to new trainers over there. Kinda like Grampa does here".

"Harrison told us about him" Misty informed them, "I guess that means that he got that Blaziken of his from this Professor Birch guy. Or at least whatever that Blaziken evolved from".

"Most likely" Professor Oak nodded.

"Well, before you do leave..." Mrs Ketchum smiled, and picked up two gift bags that Misty hadn't noticed from their spot next to the older woman's chair, "I have a present each for you and Ash".

"Oh Mrs Ketchum" Misty said, rather touched, "You didn't need to do anything like that".

"I know I didn't 'need to', but I wanted to, dear" Mrs Ketchum's smile widened.

She then handed Misty one of the gift bags.

Misty pushed some tissue paper aside, and saw to her surprise that Mrs Ketchum's gift to her was a brand new outfit. Gasping in delight, Misty pulled it out of the bag to examine it properly.

The new outfit consisted of burgendy tight-fitting T-shirt and a short, pale yellow sleeveless jacket. It's collar, and the button to close it, were a deep indigo colour. A pair of shorts that matched the jacket in colour accompanied the rest of the outfit, as did a pair of darker yellow trainers.

Misty instantly fell in love with it, and had no problem in sharing that fact.

"I love it, I _love_ it" she said in delight, hugging the outfit tightly to her chest, "Thank you so much Mrs Ketchum. You really shouldn't have gone to so much trouble".

"Oh, it was no trouble putting that together for you dear" Mrs Ketchum giggled.

"'Putting it together'... wait, you mean... you _made_ this?" Misty said, her jaw hanging open.

"Sure" Mrs Ketchum shrugged.

"Thank you" Misty said again, nothing but gratitude shining through her voice, "I really appreciate it and everything else you've done for me over the past week".

"Oh it was my pleasure dear" Mrs Ketchum laughed again.

At that moment, they all heard thundering footsteps, and looking towards the stairs, they saw Ash charging into the room with Pikachu not too far behind him.

"Hi everybody" Ash greeted them all.

"Morning sweetie" Mrs Ketchum beamed at her son.

The others all greeted him too.

"Last to the party as usual, huh Ash?" Gary playfully smirked, "I guess some things will never change".

Ash stuck his tongue out at him before laughing.

Again, Misty couldn't help but smile at how well those two were finally getting along. They hadn't fought at all over the last week.

It was a testiment to how much they had all grown up.

"Perfect timing actually" Mrs Ketchum said, before handing Ash the second gift bag.

"Huh? What's this?" he asked.

"A present from me for your new journey" Mrs Ketchum beamed at him.

Ash curiously pushed aside the tissue paper, and exactly as Misty had predicted, pulled out a brand new outfit of his own. His consisted of new black T-shirt, a new pair of black and green fingerless gloves, new jeans, a dark blue hoodie with the pattern of a pokeball in lighter blue, as well as dark blue trainers, and a new red and black hat.

"Whoa... thanks a lot Mom" Ash said, giving his mother a small hug of gratitude.

Mrs Ketchum gladly returned it.

"You're more than welcome dear" she said, "There's not an awful lot I can do to help you when you're out travelling, so a new outfit's no trouble at all".

"You're a huge help" Ash shook his head as they broke apart, "You constantly offer support, and I know you're always here for me when I come back home".

Mrs Ketchum beamed at him.

"Enough of this" she shook her head, "Go try those outfits on you two. I want to see if they fit properly".

"Okay" Ash and Misty nodded together.

They both turned and left the room, and hurried back upstairs. In just under five minutes, the duo returned, their old outfits gone, and they were sporting their brand new ones.

Misty had no problem with telling Mrs Ketchum just how great of a job she'd done.

She really loved the new outfit, how comfortable it was, and how it seemed to be designed for maximum mobility. It really was a great gift, and Misty was extremely grateful to Mrs Ketchum for putting such thought and effort into taking care of both her and Ash.

"Ah" Professor Oak smiled, "You both look great".

"Yeah, really cool" Tracey agreed.

"Definitely a good job Mrs Ketchum" Gary nodded in agreement.

"It was nothing" Mrs Ketchum shrugged again modestly.

"Anyway, whilst we're on the suject of gifts, myself and Tracey have prepared a little something for the two of you as well" Professor Oak spoke up.

Turning, Mist watched as the professor pulled two small rectangular boxes from the pockets of his lab coat. They were both wrapped up artistically, so she guessed that was Tracey's doing.

"Here you go" Professor Oak smiled, handing one of the presents to Misty, whilst handing the other to Ash.

Simultaneously, the due tore into their respective present.

Misty felt her mouth drop open in shock when she realised exactly what it was Professor Oak had gifted her with.

The device was very familiar to her after all.

It was a Pokedex.

But not just any old Pokedex.

No.

 _This_ Pokedex was a beautiful aqua in colour.

In the simplest of terms, Professor Oak had made this in her favourite colour.

Next to her, Ash's eyes widened in delight when he realised that he too had been given a brand new Pokedex, although his was the usual red colour. But since red was Ash's favourite colour, that made him extremely happy too.

"Wow! New Pokedexes" Ash exclaimed in delight, "Thanks Professor".

"Thank you so much Professor Oak" Misty said earnestly, "And you made it my favourite colour!"

"Haha" the Professor laughed, "Well, I assumed since you like water so much that blue was a safe bet. I've registered them to each of you respectively, and they work exactly the same way as Ash's original Pokedex did, although now they contain much more information. These such help you both out since they contain information about all the known pokemon in the Hoenn Region".

"That's great Professor" Misty beamed, "That'll come in really helpful".

"Yeah, especially when we start catching some of those new Hoenn pokemon" Ash grinned.

"I also know that this is your first Pokedex Misty, so I taped a small booklet of instructions to the back of yours, just in case you need them" the Professor informed her.

Turning her new Pokedex over, Misty saw them.

"Thanks Professor, and you too Tracey, this was really thoughtful of you guys" Misty beamed at them both.

"Yeah, we both really appreciate it" Ash nodded his gratitude as well.

"Think nothing of it" Professor Oak waved their thanks aside, "Now, is there anything else you need to attend too before we get going for the Seaform Islands? We're beginning to run a little short on time".

"I'm ready" Misty said, tucking her new Pokedex into the pocket of her new outfit.

"I'm nearly ready Professor" Ash told the older man, "But first I need to stop by the lab. I've finally finished making my choices about which pokemon I'm taking with me to the Hoenn Region".

"Did you settle on your sixth pokemon?" Misty asked him.

"Yeah, and I decided to take your advice" Ash nodded in response.

Misty smiled, glad she'd been able to help.

"Excellent, then why don't you and I head to the lab? You can gather those you are taking to Hoenn, and say goodbye to those you're leaving here with me" Professor Oak suggested, "Then we'll be back here in say... twenty minutes?"

"Sounds good" Ash nodded.

"Okay, but you'd better be quick" Mrs Ketchum warned, eyeing the clock on the wall, "You can't be late because the ship won't wait for you. Do you each have your ticket?"

"I've got them both here" Misty said, holding their tickets up.

"Just as well" Gary smiled, "Ash would probably lose his if you left him in charge of it".

"Ha. Ha" Ash glowered at him sarcastically.

Gary just smiled sweetly back at him.

Shaking his head in fond annoyance, Ash headed to the front door with Professor Oak behind him.

Misty and the others remained where they were in the living room, those with drinks finishing them whilst they all made polite small-talk.

Soon enough however, Ash and Professor Oak returned, Ash beaming happily.

"Got them all?" Misty asked.

"Yep" Ash grinned, "And I promised my other pokemon that I'd see them soon, since I plan on switching my team around a lot more than I have been doing".

"Good" Misty nodded.

"Right" Gary said, catching everyone's attention, "I think this is my cue. Alakazam, I choose you!"

In a flash of scarlet light, Gary's Alakazam appeared in Mrs Ketchum's living room.

"Alakazam!" the psychic type cried, holding his spoons tightly.

"Okay Alakazam, it's time to do just what we talked about" Gary told his pokemon, "You remember the Seaform Islands?"

"Ala" Alakazam nodded.

"Well we're aiming for a pier there, got it?" Gary asked.

"Kazam" Alakazam nodded again.

"Okay Alakazam, use Teleport!" Gary cried.

Alakazam's eyes glowed in a multitude of rainbow colours, and Misty felt a sharp tug behind her navel before the world seemed to fade around her. All the others experienced that same uncomfortable feeling.

There was a flash of white light.

And Mrs Ketchum's living room was suddenly empty.

* * *

Misty was slammed back into reality with a jolt.

She swayed on the spot and quickly put a hand to her aching head.

Teleportation wasn't exactly the most comfortable means of travelling.

Still, at least the bizarre sensation of spinning through the fabric of reality was over quick, and it was convenient for making long distant trips in short periods of time.

When she eventually stopped feeling nauseous, Misty took the time to look around at her new surroundings.

Exactly as expected, Alakazam had transported them to a pier situated on one of the Seaform Islands. Many people were bustling about - some boarding the St. Valerie, the ship Ash and Misty would be taking - whilst others stood at the edge of the pier, waiting to wave the ferry and its passengers off.

Misty turned to look at her companions, and saw that they were all looking around in wonderment.

"Thanks a lot Alakazam" Gary was saying to his psychic type pokemon, "I'll put you back into your pokeball for now. I know you don't like crowded places".

"Kazam" Alakazam nodded at him gratefully.

Gary returned Alakazam to his pokeball.

They were all startled as the sound of a tremendous claxon echoed out across the pier. It was probably enough to disturb the entire island.

Whipping around, Misty looked up at the ship.

"Attention please. Can I have your attention please" a male voice - no doubt the harbour manager's - boomed out through a speaker system situated at various points along the pier, "The St. Valerie will be departing for the Hoenn Region in exactly fifteen minutes. All passengers must board within the next five minutes. Thank you".

Misty couldn't help the little bubble of excitement in her stomach.

Even though she had enjoyed their little break in Pallet Town, and would miss being around Mrs Ketchum, Mr Mime, Professor Oak, Tracey and Gary terribly, Misty couldn't deny that she was glad to be going.

The last week had been awfully boring, not just for her, but for Ash too.

Sitting around in a house just wasn't for either of them.

The only downside that came from the Harbour Manager's announcement was that the time had finally come.

It was time to say goodbye.

Misty allowed a sigh to slip her lips.

She honestly hated this part of travelling.

However upsetting it could be at times though, farewells simply came with the territory.

Misty and Ash both turned to the others, all of whom look back at them with sad smiles on their faces.

"I guess we'd better hurry and get on board" Ash said, looking at his mother dejectedly.

Mrs Ketchum looked like she was holding back tears, although the smile she had plastered over her face was pretty convincing.

Misty arched an eyebrow.

Again, she was a little surprised by how emotional Mrs Ketchum was being when it usually was so unlike her. Misty knew she was a very kind and caring woman, but when it came to goodbyes she wasn't usually one to tear-up.

Perhaps that whole thing with Molly and Entei in Greenfield had had more of an effect on her than Ash and Misty had first assumed.

"I'm going to miss you so much Ash" Mrs Ketchum said softly, pulling her son into her arms for a hug, "But I hope you have a wonderful time in the Hoenn Region".

"Thanks Mom" Ash smiled as they broke apart.

Mrs Ketchum looked at him thoughtfully for a moment.

"You know, you've grown up so much in the past three years" she shook her head with a small smile, "And you're growing more and more as a person with each journey you go on. I kinda wish I could be around you more to see it happening".

"Don't worry Mom" Ash smiled up at her, "I'll call you every time I get to a Pokemon Centre, and you can see me over the videophone. I know it's not the same as seeing each other in person, but..."

"But it's the best we can do" Mrs Ketchum nodded sadly, before brightening up slightly, "And hey! Maybe I could take a vacation out to the Hoenn Region at some point, and we could all meet up with each other".

"I'd like that" Ash grinned.

"Take care of yourself Ash, and take care of Misty too" Mrs Ketchum said, before turning to the girl in question, "Thank you for always being there for my son Misty. Please keep him safe for me".

"I will, I promise" Misty nodded.

Mrs Ketchum then surprised her by giving her a tight hug too.

Misty wasn't exactly used to receiving hugs from people, so it took her a few awkward moments to be comfortable enough to return it. If she noticed, Mrs Ketchum didn't comment on it.

Misty was certainly grateful for that.

Saying goodbye was awkward enough without throwing something as personal as _that_ into the mix.

"It's really sad to see you guys leave again" Tracey smiled at his two former travelling companions, "If I didn't love working as Professor Oak's assistant so much, I'd be begging you to let me come too. I bet you're going to meet all kinds of new pokemon in Hoenn that none of us have ever seen before".

"You wouldn't have to beg" Misty chuckled, "You know you're always welcome to come with us again any time you want".

"Thanks, but I couldn't leave the lab now" Tracey shook his head, "I love looking after all the pokemon there too much".

"I'm glad to hear that" Professor Oak piped up, "Assistants as dedicated as Tracey are hard to come by".

"Guys" Gary caught their attention, holding up a device Misty recognised as a Pokegear, "You've only got two minutes left".

"Okay, okay" Ash nodded, "Err... thanks for everything all of you have done for us over the past week".

"Yeah" Misty agreed, a grateful expression on her face, "We both really appreciate all you've done for us".

"It was nothing" Mrs Ketchum waved their thanks aside.

"Good luck you guys" Tracey grinned at them.

"Just do your best and I'm confident you'll both go far" Professor Oak added.

"And we'll be back in Pallet Town, cheering you both on" Mrs Ketchum smiled.

"But remember this, _Ashy-Boy_ \- you'd better make the most of this head start I'm giving you" Gary grinned teasingly at the raven-haired boy, "Because when I get to the Hoenn Region too, I'm not going to be messing about. It'll be a race to the Hoenn League".

"Yeah?" Ash grinned mischievously, "Aw... thanks Gary. I didn't know you were in such a hurry to see me win".

They all laughed.

"It's me that's going to win" Gary shook his head at his friend fondly.

"Okay, now you've really got to hurry" Mrs Ketchum reminded them that they were on a countdown here, "You'd better get on board".

"Right... bye again" Ash said sadly.

"Thanks for everything" Misty said one last time.

They then both turned on their heels, and sprinted towards the boarding ramp.

Misty couldn't help the massive grin etching its way across her face.

This was it.

After a painfully long week of waiting, the time had finally arrived.

They were going to Hoenn.

And Hoenn had better be ready for them.

* * *

 **Yay!**

 **Ash and Misty are finally heading to Hoenn : )**

 **Now, obviously the change I was talking about in the first author's note was that Ash is taking a whole team of six with him to Hoenn. That was pretty much decided by popular demand in old and new reviews : )**

 **What do people think about the pokemon I picked?**

 **Originally I was going to do a vote on my profile page, but then I decided I didn't want to ruin the surprise, plus I really wanted Bulbasaur, Cyndaquil, and Tauros to come. It took me ages to decide on the other two, but I hope you guys like Snorlax and Heracross. Plus like it says in the chapter, I am going to switch in Ash's other pokemon quite regularly, so if your favourite of Ash's pokemon isn't there right now, don't worry, it's bound to come up at some point or another.**

 **And before anyone asks, Misty will be doing the same and bringing her Horsea and Starmie back, just not quite yet : )**

 **But enough of that, it's time to play the game : )**

 **Firstly - congratulations to Deant33, UltimateCCC, Pokemon Trainer Tom, Disruptor, OmniDragon10, Queenspeller67, Siggimondo, RHatch89, Breakawayfan, Mewmaster89, Anthonypasq, NarutoMagi17, Kurakuma, SPeCTeR-117, Yugi the Godfather of Games, Jeet Granger, Magic135, Sesshoru, Reppad98, Pokesean, and Jamesharold13 - the correct answer was indeed Manectric.**

 **Better luck next time to LovingGinger30 who thought it was Thundurus, Stallion6 of Deviantart who thought it was Luxray, Teddi 8347 and AtomicGeneral25 who both thought it was Ampharos, and ArmyWife22079 who thought it was Zebstrika.**

 **WHO'S THAT POKEMON?**

 **This pokemon is an odd pokemon that mimics its foes. It is a baby pokemon with one evolution and no Mega-Evolutions. Both it's baby evolution and its final evolution are pokemon of main characters on the show, although they are owned respectively by different people. It is a much loved pokemon by a certain member of Team Rocket.**

 **And there we go : )**

 **I hope that you all liked this chapter, and please leave a review : )**

 **Until the next time, keep on reading : )**


	5. Hoenn, But Not Alone - Part 2

**You guys are seriously the best : ) You all absolutely smashed it with the reviews for the last chapter - in fact, you've actually broken the record for the most reviews a single chapter has ever got for any of my stories, so thank you all, it really does help when writing. It was because of such a fantastic response that I was so motivated to get this chapter up and ready for you all, so please keep it up : )**

 **Anyway, can I just ask, when you're finished with this chapter can you please read the bottom author's note. There are some things I want your opinions on to do with the upcoming chapters : )**

 **Oh, and I'm sorry I kinda lied. I said in the last chapter that this chapter would start following the anime episode a little more. Yeah - that's didn't really happen all that much. An idea took hold and grew and grew so I just went with it, but I'm really pleased with the outcome.**

 **Other than that, thank you all once again for the epic response the last chapter got, and please remember that Pokemon is not mine : )**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter : )**

* * *

 **Hoenn, But Not Alone - Part 2**

* * *

Considering herself to be somewhat of an expert on the subject of all things relating to the ocean, Misty liked to think that she was also quite knowledgeable about marine-based methods of transportation.

Like the ship she was currently a passenger on for example.

Misty would easily be able to look at every single piece of the ship's engine and tell you exactly what it did.

She would know what effect the ship was having on the local ocean environment.

She could list endless ways in which ships were legally required to deal with any number of emergencies that might crop up.

And it was through all those pieces of information that Misty was able to come to an important realisation about the ship she was currently aboard.

The St. Valerie had to be the _fanciest_ ship she and Ash had ever been on.

It truly was a resplendent piece of work.

Everywhere Misty looked there were priceless works of art lining the walls. Each floor was lined with crimson red carpets. Dazzling chandeliers and thick velvet curtains adorned the bedrooms. And the beds themselves almost felt like they'd been crafted from clouds, they were _so_ soft.

All in all, just travelling on a ship this high-class had definitely been worth the week's wait.

And the facilities the St. Valerie offered were second to none.

The ship had six different swimming pools, four gyms (the type you worked out in), two cinemas, a bowling alley, twelve differently themed restaurants offering food from regions Misty had never even heard of, two Pokemon Centres with resident Nurse Joys, a convention room where trainers could check out other trainers' pokemon and offer a trade, and six battle arenas.

If she wasn't so excited about arriving in the Hoenn region later that night, Misty would be _extremely_ disappointed that she and Ash were only going to be on the cruise ship for less than twenty-four hours.

Seriously, there was more to do on this one ship than there was in the whole of Pallet Town.

In a way, the St. Valerie actually reminded Misty of the St. Anne - but she had cut that thought off before it could be voiced.

The St. Anne was not a memory Misty liked to dwell on.

Even a water fanatic like her could not deny that having the entire weight of the ocean crushing down on them was beyond terrifying.

It truly was a miracle that herself, Ash and Brock, along with Team Rocket had all returned to the surface _alive_ , let only uninjured.

She just hoped that the St. Valerie wouldn't meet a similar fate.

Ash and Misty had just finished storing away their backpacks in their joint room since neither felt like carrying them around the ship as they weren't likely to need them for anything right now.

Misty was grateful that Mrs Ketchum had thought to include a belt with her new outfit. It was the kind that allowed Misty to attach her pokeballs to it so she could carry them around on her person.

The two trainers had decided to just share a joint room since they weren't even going to spend the night in it. It would have doubled the cost of their tickets to get them each a separate room.

And to get onto a ship like this one - well, their tickets had been pricey enough already.

"So, what do you want to do first?" she asked as they exited the room, holding up the map that she had been given upon arrival by the guard checking their tickets when they'd boarded the ship, "There's so much to do here, I can't pick".

Ash peered over at the map.

"There's a swimming pool up on the deck" he pointed it out to her, "Maybe we could check that out?"

Normally Misty would have loved the idea.

Swimming was one of her favourite things to do in the whole wide world. It kept her in great shape, plus she found it extremely relaxing and stress-draining.

But right now she couldn't help but cringe at the idea of any more relaxing.

"Ash, we just spent an entire week doing nothing but relaxing in Pallet Town" Misty couldn't help the whine in her voice, "Please, can't we do something a little more... I dunno. I just know that if I spend anymore time _relaxing_ in the near future, I'm going to go insane".

Ash bit his lip thoughtfully.

He could understand where she was coming from.

Eyeing the map again in Misty's hands, Ash looked for something a little more engaging for them to do.

His eyes quickly landed on something he thought might just be perfect.

"Okay, how about this then?" he asked, pointing to a spot on the map.

Misty followed his finger.

Immediately, her eyes lit up with excitement.

He was pointing to one of the ship's battle arena facilities.

Misty couldn't help the grin etching its way onto her face.

After spending the last week doing practically nothing, the thrill of a few good battles would hopefully be enough to get her heart racing and the adrenaline going again.

Plus, due to them both being stuck in Pallet Town for so long, neither Ash nor Misty had had the chance to test out their Balance Bracelets and see exactly how the League's new financial system worked in practice.

This would be the perfect opportunity to rectify that.

"Looks perfect to me" she winked.

Ash beamed.

Truth be told, he'd been awfully bored too whilst they'd been grounded in one place, so relaxing didn't sound all that appealing to Ash right now either.

Plus, he never could turn down the opportunity for a good battle.

Their decision made, the due began following the map in search of the closest battle arena.

* * *

Meanwhile, watching the two young trainers with great interest whilst hiding behind a corner, was a rather shady trio.

"Ha!" Jessie smirked smugly at her two companions, "I knew we'd be able to sneak onto this ship with no trouble".

"I'm still surprised we were able to do it" James mused thoughtfully, "I thought we'd have been caught for sure".

"But we weren't, which means that this is the perfect opportunity for us to steal Pikachu at long last" Meowth grinned at the thought.

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet exclaimed.

"Agreed" Jessie nodded, "I want this whole Pikachu stealing thing wrapped up once and for all, so let's get on with it".

All of them nodding in agreement, Team Rocket swiftly followed after Ash and Misty, determination burning through them.

* * *

Upon locating one of the St. Valerie's battle arenas, Misty and Ash quickly learned that they couldn't simply walk through the door and challenge anyone they saw to a battle.

First, they had to check in with the facility's manager, who sat in a small booth close to the room's entrance.

They had to hand over their pokeballs to him, so he could scan them through a computer. It would tell him exactly which pokemon they had, and what moves they had. Pikachu and Togepi were a little trickier, since neither ever went into a pokeball, but Ash and Misty quickly rattled off their movesets to the manager.

He then told them which moves they were allowed to use.

Misty had been surprised at first, but when the manager explained why, she realised it made sense.

Due to them currently being on a ship, certain battle moves were forbidden on-board.

Misty couldn't blame the company that owned the St. Valerie for being so cautious. Not only was the ship high-class and very expensive, but they were literally responsible for thousands of peoples' _lives_.

So if some idiot tried using Hyper Beam or Dragon Rage or a destructive move like those, it could cause serious damage to the ship's structure, which if left unchecked, could result in a shipwreck in the worst-case scenario.

Ash was also forbidden from using his Snorlax.

The ship could only support so much weight after all, and although it was extremely unlikely that one Snorlax would cause a ship as large as the to sink, the manager wasn't prepared to take any chances.

After they had agreed to the manager's terms, he'd allowed them entrance.

Misty had to say, she was very impressed by what they found.

Clearly the company that had built and owned the St. Valerie had spared no expense anywhere on the ship, and that was more than evident in its battle arenas.

The arena was _gigantic_.

Ten battlefields the size of football pitches filled the room, and each one had their own referee. And as if that wasn't enough, lining the hall at each end of the room were high stands that would easily seat two hundred people, so that people wishing to simply watch some battles rather then participate could enjoy the facility too.

Add in the fact that there were two online transporter machines so that trainers could have their pokeballs transported onto the ship, and the room was almost like being at a League facility such as the Indigo Plateau.

"Hey!" a voice call over to them, "You! You with the Pikachu on your shoulder! Wanna battle?"

A bright grin lit up Ash's face.

"Looks like I've found my first opponent" he beamed.

Before Misty could even open her mouth to reply, Ash was off like a shot, and within seconds he'd taken his place on a battlefield opposite a boy was platinum blonde hair that was almost white.

A battle between the two quickly got underway.

"Excuse me!" a second voice trilled, causing Misty to turn to see a young woman with cherry red hair wearing a yellow dress beckoning her over, "If you wish to battle, I'm looking for an opponent".

Misty grinned eagerly.

It seemed things were finally picking up on the excitement front.

* * *

Jessie, James and Meowth cautiously peered through into the room Ash and Misty had entered, being careful not to get caught.

The last thing they needed was to be thrown off the ship.

Especially considering it had already departed and was now in the middle of the ocean.

"Looks like the Twerps are doing some battling" Jessie observed, "Do you think they're trying to raise their League accounts?"

"Perhaps" James shrugged.

"Never mind the hows and whys" Meowth said gleefully, "Don't you guys see? This is perfect! If the Twerps keep battling until they're all tired out, it'll give us the perfect chance to swoop in and snatch that crafty Pikachu whilst he's too pooped to fight back!"

"Brilliant!" Jessie cheered.

"Shush!" James reminded her, and nodding, Jessie hastily quietened herself.

It was only a matter of time now.

Soon enough, Pikachu would be theirs.

 _Forever_.

* * *

"Alright Magnemite! Use Spark!"

Misty scowled in aggravation as her current opponent's Magnemite shrouded itself in electricity and charged towards Misty's own pokemon, which in this case happened to be her Politoed.

Over the past hour, Misty had been in seven battles, including the one she was currently in.

Out of those, she had won five of them, only losing one so far, and that was only because Psyduck had popped out of his pokeball unannounced again. He'd quickly fallen to a huge hulking Vileplume.

Misty couldn't help but enjoy herself.

After sitting still for the last week, being back in battle was nothing short of _invigorating_.

Her new money account was just going up and up, and she was finally down with how it all worked, so all in all, her day was going just great so far.

But her latest opponent - a boy called Andrew - was proving difficult to defeat.

They were having a three on three battle.

Misty had easily wiped out his Growlithe with her Corsola's Bubble Beam, and even managed to beat his Hoppip with her Staryu's Double Edge attack. Unfortunately for MIsty however, Andrew had then brought out his Magnemite, and it had defeated both of them.

Now it was between Magnemite and Politoed, and whoever won this one took the match.

But with his Magnemite having such an advantage over Misty's Politoed, she was afraid that Andrew had the advantage in this battle.

"Dodge it Politoed!" she cried anxiously.

"Poli!" Politoed used his bouncy legs to propel himself high into the air.

"Mag!" Magnemite, unable to stop its path through the air, cried out in alarm as it collided with the floor instead of Politoed.

Seizing her chance, Misty ordered a command whilst Magnemite was distracted.

"Mega Punch Politoed!" she yelled.

Misty knew it was risky - having Politoed go in so close to an opponent with such a type advantage - but she just knew by instinct that if Politoed's Mega Punch landed, Magnemite would have a hard time getting back up.

"Toed!" Politoed barrelled towards Magnemite.

Unable to dodge in time, Magnemite was decked clean in the face by Politoed's powered-up fist.

"Nemite!" Magnemite crashed into the ground for the second time in thirty seconds.

Both trainers waited with baited breath.

Magnemite did not get back up.

"Magnemite is unable to battle" the referee announced, "Which means that Misty is the winner of this match".

"Alright Politoed! You did it!" Misty cheered as her Politoed happily clapped his hands, "I knew you could turn this around for us!"

"Poli" Politoed clapped ever harder.

"That was a great battle" Andrew nodded politely at her after returning his Magnemite, "Your Politoed is incredible".

"Thank you" Misty giggled, "Your Magnemite was really strong too".

With polite nods and smiles, the two trainers went their separate ways.

"Well that sure was a good turn around" a voice commented behind her.

Turning, Misty smiled as she saw Ash approaching her.

"You were watching?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Well, my last match finished before yours, so I figured I'd watch you finish up" Ash nodded in confirmation, "Nice job".

"Thanks" Misty beamed at him, before it faded slightly, "But my pokemon are getting a little tired, so I think we should stop for now, and go take them to one of the ship's Pokemon Centres".

Ash nodded in agreement.

His pokemon were getting a little worn out too.

Like Misty, Ash had been in battle after battle. In fact, he'd managed to squeeze in ten of them, and had won eight. Unfortunately his Cyndaquil had lost one of their matches to a Slowking, and his Heracross had fallen to a really strong Magmar.

Still, he was happy with all those matches, and his pokemon were really coming through.

The amount his League Account had just gone up was a testament to that.

"Excuse me" a voice caught the two trainers' attention.

Misty and Ash both turned to see a teenage girl headed towards them.

Even from just a passing glance, they could both tell that the girl was _extremely_ beautiful.

The girl had waist-length golden blonde hair that fell around her slender frame in elegant curls. She had skin so pale she almost seemed to glow, and her eyes were a majestic blue so dark her irises are almost _purple_. She stood taller than Ash and Misty, and wore an aqua coloured tunic over tight-fitting white jeans that only served to show off her impressive figure even more. Around her neck on a fancy silver chain was a shimmering blue crystal that almost looked like a wave frozen in time.

Although the girl could have passed for much older, Misty's keen sense of being able to guess people's ages was telling her that the girl was either thirteen - the same age as them - or just slightly older by a few months.

Clutched in the girl's arms was a pokemon that both Misty and Ash were quite familiar with.

It was a Totodile, and judging by the pretty pink bow tied around its tail, it was a female one to boot.

Not the easiest of pokemon to capture.

Both the girl and her Totodile were smiling warmly at the two of them.

"I was hoping that I might be able to challenge you to a battle" the girl said to Misty hopefully.

"Toto" the Totodile in her arms nodded, eyes just as hopeful as her trainer's.

Misty quickly noticed that the girl had a Johto accent, and her voice was rather reformed and proper. She sounded like she came from a high-class family, but by no means was the girl's tone one of superiority.

In fact, Misty felt quite bad about what she was about to say.

"Oh, I'm really sorry, but my pokemon are really tired, so I was just about to take them to the Pokemon Centre" Misty apologised sincerely.

The girl looked crestfallen.

"Dile" the Totodile in her arms whined in disappointment.

Misty bit her lip.

She really hated disappointing people, and that extended even to complete strangers.

"If you're willing to wait, I could come straight back here after Nurse Joy heals them" Misty offered, and the girl looked at her with an air of hope, "None of them were seriously injuried, so they should just need a run through a Restoration Machine".

"That would be great" the girl cheered, perking straight back up, "I was watching you battle you see, and I noticed that depite that cute little Togepi you're carrying, all the pokemon you used were water types".

"You were watching her because she has water types?" Ash blinked in confusion.

The girl turned to him and smiled, nodding her head so vigorously her blonde hair whipped about wildly.

"That's right!" she announced happily.

Misty raised an eyebrow in amused bewilderment.

It wasn't often that they came across a trainer quite as... well, _bubbly_ as the girl before them.

"You see, whenever I see a trainer with water types I just _have_ to watch them. Literally, my eyes refuse to move away" the girl trilled delightedly, "Water types are my absolute favourites, which I why I specialise in them".

Misty's jaw dropped open.

Next to her, Ash had to work extremely hard not to groan.

He knew _exactly_ what was going to happen after all, having seen it before.

"Whoa! You're a water type trainer too!" Misty beamed in sheer happiness, "So am I!"

"Awesome! Don't you just love how cute they all are, especially when you hold them?!" the girl started talking faster and faster as her excitement grew, "I love how sometimes they feel kind of squishy and rubbery!"

"I know what you mean" Misty replied very enthusiastically, "And don't you find it simply _adorable_ when they waddle around? Or love how graceful they are as they swim about?"

"Of course I do!" the girl beamed.

Ash was very quickly starting to feel very much like a third wheel.

"And I really love your Totodile! She's so cute, especially with that pretty pink bow around her tail" Misty giggled, smiling down at the pokemon in question, "You've obviously done a good job raising her, I can tell by how rich her colouring is".

"Aw, that's so sweet of you" the girl blushed lightly, "My little Marina here is my partner. I love her so much that I never ever put her in her pokeball".

"Marina?" Misty blinked, before returing her gaze to meet the Totodile's, "Is that your name?"

"Toto" the Totodile, no - _Marina_ \- nodded happily.

"And can I just say, despite not being a water type, your Togepi is just precious" the girl beamed, "I normally only like water pokemon, but its just so cute I can see why you made an exception and added this little guy too your team".

"Toge!" Togepi giggled at the compliment.

He had no idea who this girl was, but already he liked her a lot.

Judging by the smile on her face however, so did Misty.

"It didn't quite happen like that" Ash grumbled.

Depite knowing that Misty was the perfect mother figure for Togepi, he couldn't help but still be a little bitter over the way things had worked.

After all, _he_ was the one that had found Togepi's egg, _and_ he'd won that tournament they'd held fair and square.

Still, seeing them now, Ash wouldn't even think of trying to split them up.

"What a kind thing to say" Misty beamed happily, "I wish I had seen you battling before. I just love watching water pokemon battle too".

"I saw how your Politoed took down that guy's Magnemite" the girl trilled, "I knew then that I just had to come over and meet you. I mean, you must be really talented for you to get Politoed to defeat an electric type".

"I'm glad you decided to challenge me" Misty giggled happily, "But thinking about it, we haven't actually introduce ourselves yet".

"Oops!" the girl blushed, looking embarrassed, "I'm so sorry. That was really bad-mannered of me. My name is Tallulah. Tallulah Showers to be precise, and I'm from Cianwood City in the Johto Region".

"Oh, we were there not too long ago, weren't we?" Misty turned to Ash.

Ash blinked slightly in bemusement.

He had been under the impression that Misty, in her excitement over making a new friend, had all but forgotten his presence next to her.

"Err... yeah" he nodded, "I had a gym battle there".

"It's such a shame we never got to meet then" Misty sighed, before she smiled again, "My name is Misty Waterflower, and this is my friend and travelling companion, Ash Ketchum".

"Nice to meet you" Ash greeted Tallulah politely.

"It's a pleasure to meet the both of you too" Tallulah grinned widely, "Can I just say, that although I wasn't watching your battles because you didn't use a water type, your Pikachu was really impressive in that battle against that girl's Weepinbell. You've done a good job raising him".

"Thanks" Ash beamed at her praise.

"Pika!" Pikachu smiled at her from Ash's shoulder.

"I'm really looking forward to having a battle with you Misty" Tallulah continued breathlessly, "I mean, I'm really sorry if I'm interrupting your plans or anything like that, but you see I'm only on the St. Valerie for this one day. In a few hours, I'll be getting off".

Misty blinked.

She had checked the ship's itinerary when booking the tickets, and the only stop the St. Valerie was due to make today was at Littleroot Town in the Hoenn Region.

In other words, the exact same location where she and Ash would be docking later today.

"Wait a minute" Misty said thoughtfully, "Does that mean you're heading to the Hoenn Region?"

Tallulah blinked, uncertain how Misty knew that.

"Um, well yes actually, I am" she nodded her blonde head.

"So are we!" Misty informed her gleefully, "What a coincidence!"

"Wow! Maybe that means we'll run into each other and we could show each other all the water types we catch whilst we're over there!" Tallulah said hopefully.

"I hope so" Misty agreed.

She knew she was getting a little giddy and maybe just a bit carried away, but she couldn't help it.

Misty simply _loved_ it when she met people that understood the charm and beautiful of water pokemon the way she did.

Ash shook his head in fond amusement.

Same old Misty.

Get her on the subject of her beloved water types, and she'd go on for _hours_.

And so - fearing he might get his head bitten off but knowing he needed to remind her of this - Ash was forced to bring her back down to reality.

"You know I hate to interrupt you when you go into fan-girl mode" he started in a sarcastic drawl.

"Yeah? So why are you?" Misty grumbled, narrowing her eyes.

"Well, weren't we supposed to be getting our pokemon to the ship's Pokemon Centre?" Ash reminded her pointedly, "I thought you two wanted to battle".

"You're right!" Misty gasped, "Tallulah, do you mind waiting here for me? I'll be back in two shakes of a Mareep's tail".

"Of course" Tallulah giggled happily, "If it means I get to battle those awesome water types of yours, I'll wait all day if I have too".

"I promise I won't make you wait that long" Misty winked, "Come on Ash! The sooner we do this, the sooner we can get back to battling!"

"Sure thing Mist" Ash chuckled fondly, "Whatever you say".

Practically brimming with excitement over the thought of battling with her new friend, Misty all but dragged Ash out of the room.

* * *

Team Rocket slowly pulled themselves out of their hiding place.

Ash and Misty had exited the room much more abruptly than Team Rocket had expected, forcing them to hide quickly or else be detected.

But they had witnessed the whole thing.

"Did you guys see that?" James asked.

"What? You mean that blonde girl that was drooling over the thought of water pokemon just like the Twerpette always does?" Jessie scoffed nastily.

"In a way, yes" James nodded, "I specifically meant the Totodile she was carrying. I was thinking perhaps when we take Pikachu we can take the Totodile too".

Jessie and Meowth both thought it over.

"Well, I guess Totodile aren't pokemon you see everyday, so the Boss might be pleased if we give him one" Meowth admitted James might have a point.

"And if he doesn't want it, then we can have it instead" Jessie smiled brightly.

"Okay, then it's settled" James grinned.

Now all they needed was for the two twerps to return with Pikachu.

They weren't going to know what had hit them.

* * *

It took Ash and Misty ten minutes to make the trip to the ship's Pokemon Centre, get their pokemon passed through the Restoration Machine, and return to the battle arena they'd met Tallulah in.

Considering just how long the distance the ship's Pokemon Centre was from the battle arena, Ash was fairly certain they must have broken some kind of record.

He didn't begrudge Misty her excitement though.

She had been forced to put up with him in this almost hyper state on dozens of occasions, so it was only fair she got to do it to him once in a while.

They returned to the battle arena, signed back in with the facility's manager, and saw Tallulah sitting in one of the stands that lined the room.

The golden haired girl looked up, saw that they'd returned, and immediately leapt to her feet.

"Yay! You're back" she trilled, "I'm so excited for this battle".

"Me too" Misty beamed.

Ash shook his head fondly.

It was nice to see that other trainers had such a love for the thrill of the pokemon battle as he did.

"You girls get onto one of the fields, and I'll watch you from the stands" he said, "And good luck to both of you".

"Thanks" Misty and Tallulah said together.

The two water type fanatics then turned to each other, each girl wearing a broad smile.

"Let's do our best and make all water type pokemon proud" Tallulah smiled.

"Of course" Misty giggled, "How many pokemon do you want to use?"

"Is three on three good for you?" Tallulah asked.

"Sounds perfect" Misty accepted.

The girls anxiously waited for one of the fields to become available, and as soon as one did, they hurried over and claimed it. They informed the referee of their decision to hold a three on three battle, and he tossed a coin to see who'd go first.

"Heads!" Misty called it in the air.

"Tails!" Tallulah said at the same time.

The coin landed on head.

"Alright!" Misty cheered, "I get the first move!"

"Ladies, call out your pokemon" the referee called.

"Okay Staryu, you're up!" Misty called.

With the toss of a pokeball, Staryu materialised on the field before Misty.

Immediately, Tallulah gasped in awe.

"Oh my!" she squealed giddily, "Your Staryu's jewel is enchanting! How did you get it to sparkle like that?"

"Staryu is one of my favourite pokemon, so I polish it at least three times a week" Misty replied.

It wasn't like she was even bragging.

She really _did_ do that.

Ash couldn't help but allow a groan to slip his lips.

He had just had an intense Deja vu moment back to the Orange Islands when this exact same thing had happened.

"You did a great job Misty, but now it's my turn" Tallulah giggled, holding up a pokeball, "Go Pearl!"

As the battlefield was filled with a red light, Misty wondered what type of pokemon she was going to have to face.

That was the trouble with nicknaming pokemon.

You never knew until it materialised exactly what it was you'd be facing.

Pearl was revealed to be an extremely healthy Shellder.

"Shellder!" Pearl's tongue flicked about eagerly.

Misty blinked.

She'd never seen a Shellder look so thirsty for battle before.

"Cutie!" she cooed in adoration, "Your Shellder's shell looks great, and her eyes are so bright. Sometimes if a Shellder isn't raised properly they can look a little... well, unintelligent, but you're looks really smart".

"I'm glad you think so!" Tallulah beamed at the praise.

"Excuse me!" a curt voice called over to them.

Looking over towards the stands, the girls saw an irritated Ash scowling at them.

"Are you two _ever_ going to battle, or are you going to just stand around all day complimenting each others' pokemon?" he asked bluntly.

"Alright, alright!" Misty waved his words away, "Always so impatient. Right Staryu, let's start this with your Bubblebeam!"

"Hi-Yah!" Staryu began rotating, whilst thick streams of bubbles poured out from the tips of its five points.

The bubbles barrelled towards Pearl.

"Pearl! Deflect those bubbles with Icicle Spear!" Tallulah called.

"Shell!" Shellder's shell began glowing with an icy blue aura, before several dozen lethally sharp icicles were fired in Staryu's direction.

As they passed, the icicles punctured the bubbles, stopping them from hitting Pearl,

"Ooh!" Misty gushed, "What a cool way of defending Shellder! She's pretty good, but so are we! Staryu, dodge with Rapid Spin, then use Swift!"

Staryu became a blur it was spinning so fast.

It easily dodged out of the icicles' path, and once it felt safe, Staryu stopped spinning, and let loose its Swift attack.

"Shellder!" Pearl cried out in pain as dozens of tiny golden stars hit her in the face.

"Stay calm Pearl!" Tallulah cried, "Withdraw!"

Shellder quickly retracted into her shell.

Misty growled in frustration.

Hitting Pearl whilst she was hidden in her shell was going to be tricky.

"Staryu! Wait for her to come out, then use your fastest Double Edge!" Misty instructed.

"Hi-Yah!" Staryu cried its understanding.

"Pearl, don't come out!" Tallulah yelled to her pokemon.

Unfortunately, a Shellder's hearing was always compromised whilst inside its shell. It was because their shells were formed out of a material so thick that even sound couldn't penetrate it very well.

Pearl heard her trainer's muffled yells, but all she heard was the words 'come out' - and so that's exactly what she did.

"Shellder!" she said as her shell opened.

"Now Staryu!" Misty seized her chance.

"No Pearl!" Tallulah cried in dismay, "I said _don't_ come out!"

Pearl gasped, and tried to retract back into her shell, but already it was too late.

Staryu, using the full power of Double Edge, slammed into Pearl head on. One of its points got lodged in the opening of Pearl's shell, preventing it from closing.

"Finish it with your Swift attack!" Misty commanded.

"Hi-Yah!" Staryu generated hundreds of tiny stars from the jewel at its centre, and with no means of defending herself, Pearl squealed in pain as the attack hit its mark.

"No! Pearl!" Tallulah gasped.

Staryu's attack ended, and tugging its point loose, backed away as Pearl the Shellder collapsed to the ground in pain.

"Shellder is unable to battle" the referee called, "The first round goes to Misty and her Staryu!"

"Yay! Great work Staryu!" Misty cheered.

"Good going you two! Keep up the good work!" Ash called from the stands.

"Pearl, you were great, now return and rest up" Tallulah said dejectedly.

Pearl dematerialised off of the battlefield.

"Well done Misty" Tallulah smiled at her new friend, "But you won't be beating my next pokemon. Go Brooklyn!"

Misty wondered what type of pokemon this Brooklyn was, but quickly received her answer.

Brooklyn was an Octillery.

And from the looks of it, a really powerful one.

Brooklyn waved her orange tentacles around in a somewhat mesmerising way.

"Oh look at that" Misty trilled, "Brooklyn looks like she's dancing!"

"That's because Brooklyn simply _adores_ music, so I play it to her all the time" Tallulah explained happily, "I think it helps her let out her inner beauty".

"Oh it does, it does!" Misty heartily agreed.

In the stands, Ash could help but roll his eyes and shake his head.

Those two were like peas from a pod.

"I think a Johto beauty like your Brooklyn deserves to face another pokemon first discovered in Johto, so return Staryu! And come on out Corsola!" Misty cheered.

Staryu was quickly replaced by Misty's Corsola.

"Corsola" Corsola looked happy to be battling again, "Sola!"

"Oh what a cutie!" Tallulah squealed in delight, "You're super lucky to have such a pretty pink pokemon Misty!"

"Cor?" Corsola blinked in confusion, before smiling, "Sola!"

Whoever this new girl was, Corsola already liked her.

"I know I am" Misty agreed, "So I do my best to take care of Corsola in the way she deserves. Plus I think she likes you".

"Cor" Corsola nodded.

"Really!" Tallulah cooed, "Aw! I really like you too"

"Corsola" Corsola laughed happily.

"Since I went first last time, you can have the first move this time Tallulah" Misty offered.

"Thanks, but you might end up regretting that" Tallulah winked, "Brooklyn, use Psybeam!"

Brooklyn's eyes glowed in a multitude of rainbow colours, before she fired a beam of energy from her eyes so fast that Corsola simply didn't have time to dodge it.

"Cor!" Corsola squealed in pain.

"Corsola! Oh no!" Misty cried in alarm.

The attack ended, but it was only the start of Misty's troubles.

Although the attack had only done minimal damage to Misty's Corsola, it did have an unfortunately side-effect.

"Sola" Corsola wobbled about aimlessly, seemingly out of control, "Cor! Corsola!"

"Corsola? You okay?" Misty called in concern.

"Sola!" Corsola took no notice of her trainer. She simply continued flailing about hopelessly.

Misty sighed in dismay.

That Psybeam had confused her poor Corsola, and now the poor thing had no idea which way was up and which was down.

"Great work Brooklyn!" Tallulah cheered her pokemon on, "Now whilst she's confused, hit Corsola with your Water Gun!"

"Corsola! Try and snap out of it!" Misty tried desperately.

"Sola! Sola!" Corsola still failed to acknowledge her trainer's words.

"Octillery!" Brooklyn cried, firing at jet of water at Corsola.

"No! Corsola!" Misty cried.

The Water Gun hit Corsola directly in the face, sending the little pink pokemon sprawling backwards across the field.

"Sola?" Corsola blinked, snapping out of her confusion, "SOLA!"

She cried out in pain as Brooklyn kept up her watery assault. Although Corsola's water typing prevented her rock typing's weakness against water attacks, it still wasn't pleasant being hit directly in the face after all.

"Ha! Way to go Brooklyn! We've got this one!" Tallulah prematurely cheered.

"Not yet you don't" Misty smirked, "Corsola! Recover!"

"Corsola!" Corsola's entire body lit up with a dazzling white light, and soon enough she was almost back to full strength.

"Whoa, that was some Recover" Tallulah marvelled in awe, "Your Corsola's awesome Misty".

"Thanks, and your Octillery is pretty tough too" Misty replied.

"Oh you're about to see how tough Brooklyn can be" Tallulah winked, "Constrict!"

"Dodge it Corsola!" Misty cried desperately.

Corsola managed to leap out of the way of one of Brooklyn's extending tentacles, but unfortunately her efforts were in vain. Brooklyn simply snagged her with another one and began squeezing her tightly.

"Corsola!" Corsola squeaked in pain.

"Oh no, poor Corsola!" Misty cried in panic.

"Great work Brooklyn, now use Aurora Beam!" Tallulah ordered.

"Octillery!" Brooklyn cried as once again, her eyes lit up with a ghostly light, only this time they were with all the colours of a beautiful aurora.

At such close range, Corsola's struggles were pointless. The Aurora Beam hit her and engulfed her entire body.

"CORSOLA!" Corsola shrieked in pain.

Misty, forced to shield her eyes from the intense light of Brooklyn's attack, hoped that her pokemon would dig deep and hold on.

Her hopes were in vain however.

No sooner had the light died down was Corsola's prone form revealed.

She was unconscious.

"Corsola is unable to battle" the referee announced, "Which means that this round goes to Tallulah and her Octillery".

"Hooray Brooklyn!" Tallulah rushed forwards to hug her pokemon, "You brought things back around for us!"

"Oct!" Brooklyn looked proud of herself.

"Poor Corsola" Misty lamented, hugging her own pokemon to her chest, "Are you alright?"

"Cor..." Corsola managed a weak smile.

"I'm so glad" Misty smiled sadly, "I'm sorry we lost. It was all my fault".

"Corsola" Corsola shook her head gently.

"Well, either way, you just return for now" Misty said, returning Corsola to her pokeball, "You need a nice long rest".

"I'm sticking with Brooklyn for now Misty!" Tallulah announced.

Now that they'd got their stride going, Tallulah was counting on Brooklyn to take them all the way to victory.

Misty on the other hand was not so keen for that to happen.

"That's fine with me" Misty grinned, a glint in her eye, "I think it's time you came back out Staryu!"

"Hi-Yah!" Staryu cried as it materialised on the field for the second time.

"Staryu! Hit Brooklyn with your Swift attack!" Misty yelled, wasting no time in getting down to business.

"Hi-Yah!" Staryu generated tiny stars from its jewel that hurtled towards Brooklyn.

"Brooklyn, deflect them with Bubblebeam!" Tallulah instructed.

Misty growled and frowned in annoyance.

That trick Tallulah kept pulling by deflecting her attacks was clever, but it was starting to become a nuisance.

Fortunately, Misty had a plan on how to deal with that.

"Keep up your Swift and then use Double Edge!" Misty ordered.

Staryu continued to generate more and more exploding stars, then barrelled towards Brooklyn the Octillery to hit her with its Double Edge.

Brooklyn easily deflected the Swift attack, but couldn't escape the Double Edge.

"Octillery!" she cried in pain as she was sent hurtling backwards.

The spinning starfish pokemon continued pummelling her with its attack.

"Brooklyn, stop Staryu in its tracks with your Constrict" Tallulah said, keeping her cool, knowing that losing it in a battle could mean the loss of victory.

"Llery!" Brooklyn snagged Staryu in her tentacles, ending the Double Edge.

"If that's how you want to play it then fine" Misty smirked, throwing Tallulah off, "Staryu, Rapid Spin!"

"Oh no, not that!" Tallulah gasped, unable to believe just how easily she'd fallen into a trap.

Misty sure was one incredible trainer.

Of that Tallulah had no doubt.

"Octillery!" Brooklyn cried out in alarm as Staryu spun so fast her tentacles were helplessly bound around it, dragging poor Brooklyn along with it.

Faster and faster the duo of water types spun.

Both Misty and Tallulah watched them intensely, knowing that this would probably be the move that ended it for one of their pokemon.

Brooklyn tugged desperately hard on her tentacles, but it was no use. She was completed entangled and helpless to free herself.

"Hi-Yah!" Staryu cried as it suddenly stopped spinning.

"Octillery!" Brooklyn gasped in alarm as their momentum sent the pair of them crashing to the ground.

Groaning, and aching all over her orange body, Brooklyn tried to pull herself up.

But it was no use.

She just couldn't continue.

"Octillery is unable to battle, which means... huh?!" the referee cut himself off.

The reason why soon became apparent.

From the position where it was standing, Staryu sagged on its lower points weakly, its crimson jewel flashing ominously.

"Oh no! That means that Staryu doesn't have any energy left to fight!" Misty gasped.

Seconds later, she was proven right.

Staryu keeled over, and did not get back up.

"Err... I guess this means that both Octillery _and_ Staryu are unable to battle, meaning this match ends in a draw" the referee said, "The next two pokemon will be the final battle. Whoever wins this one takes the match".

Staryu and Brooklyn were both returned by their respective trainers.

"Alright Politoed, let's go!" Misty cheered, throwing another pokeball.

"Politoed! Politoed!" Politoed materialised on the field and immediately started clapping his hands together.

"Aw, such a happy one" Tallulah sighed dreamily, "Hi there Politoed!"

"Poli?" Politoed blinked up at her in confusion.

"This is Tallulah, a new friend Politoed" Misty informed her green and yellow pokemon, "But right now we're battling her, so give it your all".

"Politoed!" Politoed nodded, growing serious.

"Get in there Marina!" Tallulah cried.

Marina the Totodile leapt out of her trainer's arms and happily bounded onto the field. It was more than a little obvious that Tallulah's signature pokemon was eager to get in on some of the action.

"Begin!" the referee ordered.

"Marina, use Ice Beam!" Tallulah yelled.

"Toto!" Marina's jaw lit up with a bright light, before a blue beam of frigid energy was sent through the air towards Politoed.

"Dodge it Politoed!" Misty yelled.

"Poli!" Politoed effortlessly leapt out of the blue beam's path, leaving it to hit the ground where he'd been standing.

The spot iced over, but Politoed remained untouched.

"Nice dodge Politoed" Misty praised her pokemon, "Now use Bubble!"

"Politoed!" Politoed's mouth filled with bubbles which he directed towards Marina.

"Ice Beam again" Tallulah calmly ordered.

Marina fired her Ice Beam again, and the wintery energy hit Politoed's Bubble attack head on.

The end result was a set of frozen bubbles falling to the ground like lead balloons.

Misty couldn't help but smile.

"Hey, that was a pretty awesome way from Marina to defend herself" Misty complimented, "But it won't stop this! Politoed, Mega Punch!"

Politoed charged towards Marina, powering up his fist - ready to strike her...

Unfortunately for Politoed however, he would never get to land that hit.

He was barely an inch away from striking Marina, when something happened that not one of them was expecting.

Out of nowhere, a mechanical hand attached to a rapidly extending pole darted onto the battlefield, snatched up Marina, and proceeded to pull her away before anyone could figure out what was happening.

"What the...?!" Misty gasped in astonishment.

"Poli?" Politoed's attack failed, causing him to look around in confusion.

"Marina!" Tallulah cried in horror.

"What's going on here?!" Ash demanded, hurrying over to join the girls as they both raced to the edge of the battlefield.

A chorus of familiar evil cackling filled the air.

Misty's heart plummeted all the way down to her shoes.

Of course.

She had foolishly believed that maybe this time, she and Ash would have _finally_ shaken them off and left them behind in Kanto, but _no_.

 _Of course_ , they had followed them.

All the way out to sea.

Standing there in the doorway of the room, as bold as you like, was Team Rocket.

Meowth was the one operating that mechanical arm that had snatched up Marina.

"Team Rocket!" Ash seethed, "I don't believe it!"

"Oh, but you'd better believe it Twerp" Jessie laughed.

"Why couldn't you just stay behind in Kanto and give us a break from the constant stupidity you spread around?" Misty grumbled in annoyance.

She really had hoped that for once, maybe she and Ash could travel without the bumbling trio always getting in their way.

"Because we still haven't captured Pikachu" James retorted hotly, "But that's all about to change!"

Before anyone could do or say anything, Meowth deposited Marina the Totodile into a glass sphere that Jessie was holding. She quickly snapped it shut before Marina could escape, trapping the Totodile inside.

Then, before anyone could protest, Meowth used the mechanical hand to pluck Pikachu right off of Ash's shoulder.

"No! Pikachu!" Ash yelled, trying to grab the yellow mouse but the hand retracted back towards Team Rocket too quickly for him.

"Pika!" Pikachu whined in protest.

Laughing menacingly, Meowth used the hand to place Pikachu in a second glass sphere, this one being carried by James.

"Pika!" Pikachu, furious about being shoved into a glass ball, tried to use his Thundershock to break free.

Unfortunately, it had no effect on the sphere whatsoever.

"Marina!" Tallulah cried, horrified at seeing her partner imprisoned, "Let her go now!"

"Sorry blondie, but we can't do that" Jessie smirked, shaking her head.

"Why not?" Tallulah seethed, "And just who do you creeps think you are anyway?!"

Unable to resist the opportunity, Team Rocket all struck dramatic poses.

"Prepare for trouble" Jessie began smugly, "I know who _I_ am".

"And make it double" James added, clearly just as confident, "For I'm the man with a plan".

"To protect the world from devastation"

"To unite all people within our nation"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love"

"To extend our reach to the stars above"

"Jessie"

"James"

"Team Rocket rides the St. Valerie at the speed of light!"

"And we shall be in Hoenn by the end of this night!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet cried, popping out of his pokeball.

Tallulah blinked in utter bewilderment.

"I still don't get it" she shook her head, "Who are you clowns again?"

"Urgh!" Jessie, James, and Meowth all sagged where they stood.

"Hey Blonde Twerpette!" Jessie snarled at her, "Weren't you paying attention?! We're Team Rocket!"

"Team Rocket?" Tallulah repeated blankly.

"They're a group of bad guys Tallulah" Ash grimly informed her whilst glaring at Team Rocket with hatred burning in his eyes, "They're always trying to steal my Pikachu, other pokemon, and all kinds of other stuff too".

"Oh my!" Tallulah gasped, before glaring with a coldness unusual for her, "Well they're not stealing Marina from me! Give her back!"

"Yeah! And give back Pikachu too!" Ash added in agreement.

"Let me think about that..." James rubbed his chin in mock-thought.

"NO!" Jessie, James, and Meowth all yelled together.

Then, before Ash, Misty or Tallulah could do a thing, Team Rocket turned on their heels and took off out of the room, taking the stolen Pikachu and Marina with them.

"Come back here!" Ash yelled furiously.

He set off after them.

"Give back my Marina!" Tallulah shrieked, following him.

Misty meanwhile quickly returned her Politoed to his pokeball and hurried over to the booth the arena's manager had been in before. To her complete astonishment, she found him hunched over, completely lost to sleep.

"Hey! Wake up!" she yelled angrily.

With a jolt, the manager woke up.

"Huh? What?" he blinked sleepily.

"Two pokemon were just stolen by a group that call themselves Team Rocket" Misty wasted no time in filling him in, "You have to alert the ship's security before they can escape".

The manager looked confused for a second.

Then her words set in.

"What?!" he yelped in horror, "I'm on it!"

He snatched up the radio he used to communicate with the captain and other important staff members aboard the St. Valerie.

"This is Battle Arena One!" he shouted into it, "We have an emergency!"

Satisfied that the man would get the message out to everyone else on the ship, Misty sprinted off after her best friend and her new friend.

It took a couple of minutes for her to catch up with them since they had a head-start on her, but within moments she rounded a corner and found a furious Ash and Tallulah looking around frantically.

"Oh man!" Ash grumbled in his anger, "Where did those three disappear too?!"

"I don't know Ash" Tallulah's lip trembled, obviously in fear of never seeing her beloved Marina again, "But we can't give up! We have to find them!"

"Guys" Misty alerted them to her presence, "I told the battle arena's manager to get the message out, so soon every staff member will be looking for them".

Ahead of them, a door opened, and out stepped a burly man in a stripy sailor's shirt and dark blue shorts. With him stood an even more muscular Machoke.

The man spotted them and didn't hesitate to approach.

"I just received a message that two young trainers had some of their pokemon stolen" he said, and Misty was relieved he wasn't wasting times with any pleasantries, "Are any of you three those trainers?"

"I'm one of them" Ash grumbled, "My Pikachu's been stolen".

"And so has my Marina" Tallulah exclaimed, "She's a Totodile".

"My name is Captain Stanley" the man - no, _the captain_ \- greeted them kindly, "Don't worry kids. Every member of my crew is going to do everything they can to get your pokemon back".

"That's great Captain Stanley" Ash beamed at him, "Thank you!"

"We're so grateful for your help" Tallulah nodded her gratitude as well.

"Come with me" the man gently ushered them towards the room he had just exited, "We're going to find them".

Misty immediately felt reassured purely by the conviction in the man's voice alone.

Soon enough, the four humans were standing before a piece of equipment that Misty suspected was the most advanced security system she had ever clapped eyes on. It had lots of monitors and screens, and there were lights flashing randomly all over it.

Captain Stanley sat at the machine and began typing on the keyboard, his jaw set tightly and his eyes determined.

Theft, especially that of a pokemon, was not something he tolerated on-board his ship, thank you very much.

"What's that?" Ash couldn't help but ask.

No sooner had the words slipped his lips did an image of the ship appear on the central screen.

"It scans the entire ship" the Captain explained, not looking up from his work, "And helps me to find the potential hiding places of any stowaways that might be on-board".

Misty couldn't help but roll her eyes in disbelief.

If it was that great, then how on Earth had Team Rocket managed to get on-board in the first place?

She highly doubted that they'd bought tickets after all.

"And now you're using it to try and figure out where the creeps that took Marina and Pikachu are hiding, right?" Tallulah asked the Captain hopefully.

Captain Stanley nodded grimly.

At the moment, the security system detected something and started to beep, alerting them that it had reached a potential result.

"Ah" the Captain smirked victoriously, "The food storage area on the lower deck".

"Then what are we waiting for?" Misty looked around bracingly.

She saw three determined faces looking back at her.

"Marina and Pikachu are depending on us!" Tallulah cried, angry that those people had _dared_ take Marina from her.

If it was the last thing she ever did, Tallulah was going to make them pay.

The four humans, along with Togepi and Machoke, immediately set off running towards the staircase that led to the lower deck.

Their goal was blatantly clear.

They were going to rescue the captive pokemon and show those crooks a thing or two whilst they were at it.

* * *

Captain Stanley led the three teenagers down to the food storage area on the lowest deck of the boat, and once they arrived outside, he silently signalled for them to wait.

Misty pressed her ear to the metal door to listen.

Ash, Tallulah and the Captain all did the same.

It took a moment, but soon enough Misty could hear voices from inside.

She furiously bared her teeth at the familiar voices.

"Poor Pikachu" Jessie's voice said smugly from inside, the sound muffled slightly due to the thickness of the door, "You're just wasting your volts with those Thunderbolts".

"That little glass sphere will suck up every single watt you can dish out" James' mocking voice added.

"So why don't you be a good little pokemon, and sit back and enjoy this peaceful sea cruise?" Meowth's voice taunted.

No sooner had they all heard _that_ remark did Ash's fragile control shatter.

Ignoring the protests of the other three - who all wanted to come up with some kind of plan before they just went marching in - Ash threw open the door to the storage facility and stormed in.

Scowling, Misty followed him.

Underneath her anger at the situation however, she could understand his hot-headedness.

If it was one of her pokemon in there, she wouldn't be waiting around either.

And if it was her _Togepi_... well, heads would be _rolling_ be now.

"There's nothing peaceful about it!" Ash yelled angrily.

Misty stood next to him, with the Captain and Tallulah behind them.

Team Rocket whirled around in horror.

Misty looked around, and could see Pikachu and Marina still trapped inside the small glass spheres.

Her heart went out to those poor pokemon.

It had to be incredibly cramped and uncomfortable inside those things.

Her resolve to rescue them only strengthened.

"Huh?" Team Rocket all blinked up at them dumbly.

Based on their bulging checks and the food in their grubby little hands, it was obvious that the villainous trio was in the middle of stuffing their faces with the ship's food.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu cried happily from the sphere.

"Toto!" Marina looked positively joyous to see Tallulah again.

"You've got some nerve stealing Ash's Pikachu and Tallulah's Totodile from them" the Captain boomed angrily.

"That's us" James scoffed rudely, "Nerves of steel!"

"If that was true you wouldn't have ran off like cowards!" Tallulah snapped.

"Give back Pikachu and Marina!" Ash seethed.

"In your dreams Twerp" Meowth snarled back in response.

"I've had enough of this" Misty rolled her eyes, "Look, we all know you're going to mess something up and we'll get them back anyway, so why don't you just save us all some time and hand them over?"

"Ha! We're haven't messed anything up yet Twerpette" Jessie chuckled smugly.

"Yeah! Only a nifty organisation such as ours could have pulled off this kind of feat with zero mistakes" Meowth said, his voice oozing smugness.

"So far" Misty rolled her eyes, "And if you're so great, how did we find you so quickly?!"

"Twerpy luck - but we still got Pikachu, and the Totodile - so that zero mistakes thing is still holding out" Meowth smirked at them.

"You're wrong about that!" Captain Stanley snapped angrily, "Stealing those pokemon was a _big_ mistake! Go Machoke!"

Captain's Stanley's Machoke lunged forwards, just as Jessie and James whipped out their pokeballs and flung them.

"Arbok, I choose you!" Jessie called.

"Come on out, Weezing!" James added.

The two poison types appeared before them, but Machoke didn't looked worried in the slightest.

Ash reached for a pokeball of his own.

"Alright! I choose Bulbasaur!" he cried, tossing the pokeball.

Bulbasaur appeared in a haze of scarlet light next to Machoke.

"Bulbasaur" he growled when he saw that Team Rocket was up to their old tricks again.

"Now are you glad we talked you out of your lame idea?" Misty couldn't help but ask in a teasing voice.

"I sure am" Ash nodded, knowing that without his other pokemon he'd be screwed right now, "But perhaps this isn't the right time to rub it in".

"Fair enough" Misty shrugged, before tossing a pokeball of her own, "Go for it Politoed!"

"Poli!" Politoed appeared next to Bulbasaur.

"I... I'm sorry, but I can't battle them" Tallulah whimpered, looking for all the world like she was lost, "Pearl and Brooklyn haven't been healed yet, and Marina's the only other pokemon I have".

"It's okay" Misty assured her new friend, "We're going to get both Pikachu _and_ Marina back, I promise".

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep" Jessie spat angrily, "Arbok! Use Poison Sting!"

Arbok coiled through the air and began spitting out a barrage of deadly looking needles from his mouth, all of them dripping with poisonous purple acid.

"Dodge, Machoke!" the Captain yelled.

Machoke managed to jump out of the way.

"Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!" Ash commanded.

"Bulba!" from the bulb on Bulbasaur's back, a flurry of lethally sharp leaves were launched into the air towards Team Rocket.

"Weezing! Smoke Screen!" James shouted.

Weezing stormed through the air, opening his jaw wide. A cloud of smelly, filthy smog poured out, forming a large black cloud around Machoke, Bulbasaur and Politoed.

"Oh no!" Tallulah cried in anguish, "They can't see!"

"Alright Weezing!" James's voice could be heard from behind the smoke, "Tackle it! Tackle Machoke!"

"Arbok, use Double-Edge on Bulbasaur!" Jessie's voice added.

For a moment, nothing could be seen, but then the smoke parted slightly, and before anyone knew what was happening, Weezing and Arbok rammed into Machoke and Bulbasaur respectively, and the fighting type and grass/poison dual type were sent crashing back into the far wall.

"No, Bulbasaur!" Ash cried in horror.

"Bulb..." Bulbasaur groaned in pain.

"Politoed, use your..." Misty was cut off before she couldn't finish her order.

"Arbok! Finish it up with Acid!" Jessie screamed as the smoke finally cleared entirely.

The gigantic purple cobra slithered through the air and opened his jaw, spitting a projectile of sludgy bile from its mouth.

"Machoke! Look out!" the Captain called warningly.

"Dodge Politoed!" Misty cried in alarm.

"Bulbasaur, roll out of the way!" Ash yelled.

All three of the pokemon managed to dodge in time, but the blob of acid hit the wall behind them instead. Misty realised for the first time that it wasn't a wall, but instead a giant tank of water.

A hole was burnt through the surface of it, and gallons of water began fountaining out.

"Oh no!" Ash gasped.

"The water storage tank!" the Captain yelled.

"We broke it!" Misty exclaimed.

"Now it's leaking!" Tallulah shrieked in horror.

Before anyone could react any further or do anything to prevent it happening, the four humans and all the pokemon were swept away by the makeshift tidal wave they'd accidently created with their battle.

Ash and Misty barely managed to return their Bulbasaur and Politoed respectively before they lost them.

Over the thrashing of the pooling water, they could hear the yells and screams from their opponents. It was more than a little obvious that Jessie, James, Meowth, Pikachu, Marina, Weezing and Arbok all had been caught by the wave as well.

Misty tried in vain to keep Togepi out of the water as they were swept into the corridor, and she gasped in pain and shock as she was suddenly sucked beneath the surface of the current.

She felt her body slam into something painfully solid, and opening her eyes, Misty saw that she'd hit the staircase, which was now underwater.

The orange haired girl quickly swam to the top and broke the surface, and watched as Team Rocket emerged and made a beeline across the deck, with a furious Ash right behind them.

Growling in anger, Misty also started chasing after the trio.

Behind her, she heard Tallulah doing much the same.

"Come back here Team Rocket!" Ash yelled as Misty and Tallulah both managed to fall into line with him.

"Give back our pokemon!" Tallulah screamed at their retreating forms.

Ahead of them, Misty watched as James suddenly pulled up a small canon-like device he had strapped to his belt, and when he activated it, Misty could just about make out a rope flying out of the end of it and tying itself around one of the ship's gigantic smoke funnels.

With the glass sphere with Marina inside tucked under one arm, along with Meowth - who still had Pikachu in his own sphere in his grasp - Jessie, and Wobbuffet all clinging onto him, James leapt off the side of the boat, swinging them away from the ship.

"They're getting away!" Tallulah sobbed.

"Oh no they're not!" Ash retorted angrily.

"Follow us Tallulah!" Misty yelled.

Ash, Misty and Tallulah all put on an extra burst of speed, and Ash and Misty leapt off the edge of the ship after Team Rocket.

Tallulah was momentarily stunned, but realising she might never see Marina again if she didn't follow, jumped right after them.

Ash barely just managed to cling onto Wobbuffet, but tightened his grip around Jessie's blue pokemon. Misty grabbed onto Ash's legs, and below her, she felt Tallulah doing the same to her.

Wobbuffet slipped and was forced to cling onto Jessie instead of James.

"Gotcha!" Ash yelled, holding on for dear life.

"Team Rocket!" Misty yelled up at them angrily, "Give us back Pikachu and Marina!"

"They're not your pokemon" Tallulah shrieked in outrage, "They're ours!"

Jessie looked down and noticed them hanging on for the first time.

She gritted her teeth in frustration and looked ready to wring Ash's and Misty's necks with her bare hands.

"Wobbuffet! Please be a loyal pokemon! You've got to let go of my leg now!" she pleaded.

But apparently Wobbuffet had no interest in being a loyal pokemon.

He didn't let go, and showed no sign of doing so anytime in the near future.

Aggravated, Jessie decided to shake them all off herself, and began kicking back and forth, but thankfully Wobbuffet didn't want to let go, and Ash, Misty and Tallulah held on just as tight.

"Quit shaking us! And give back those pokemon!" Misty screamed angrily.

"This seems so much safer in the movies!" James cried from above them, "Can I get a stunt double?"

"SOMEONE YELL CUT!" Meowth suddenly screamed.

Misty gasped in surprise as they all struck the side of the smoke funnel.

She hissed in pain and hoped with all her heart that Togepi, who she had placed in her backpack whilst chasing Team Rocket, had not been injured.

Before she knew what was happening, all of them were falling.

The orange haired trainer groaned in pain as she landed on some wooden crates that stood on a pier not far from the ferry.

She had no idea why the St. Valerie had got so close to land when it wasn't scheduled to dock before reaching Hoenn, but right now she didn't care.

She was simply grateful for it.

There were far bigger fish to fry right now after all.

Namely - stopping Team Rocket and getting Pikachu and Marina back from them.

Misty heard a secondary grunt of pain, and turned her head to see that Ash had landed right beside her.

A third thud and moan told her that Tallulah had safely landed with them as well.

Forcing her eyes open, Misty say that Team Rocket, minus Meowth, had landed on the top of a truck, whilst Pikachu and Marina (no longer in their spheres as they had shattered upon landing) and Meowth had landed on the roof of another truck.

Misty vaguely wondered which island they were at, but quickly decided she didn't care.

They needed to focus on retrieving the stolen pokemon.

Nothing else mattered right now.

"Wait there… Pikachu!" Ash grunted in sheer but pained determination, "I'm coming for you!"

"Pika" Pikachu cried.

"Marina! Hold on!" Tallulah struggled in vain to get up, "I'll save you!"

"Toto" Marina whimpered.

Misty regretfully knew it was already too late though.

The two trucks started their engines up.

Misty, Ash, and Tallulah were powerless to do anything but watch them drive away.

Pikachu and Marina going with them.

* * *

 **And there's chapter five : )**

 **Yay : ) Tallulah was always planned to appear in this story, but I didn't plan on it being so soon. But then I had the idea to bring her in here and I couldn't shake it off, so I decided to just go with it, and then this whole chapter just wrote itself.**

 **For those of you that are uncertain, Tallulah is not a canon character, but an OC I've come up with. I want her to be a friendly rival for Misty when we get to her long-term storyline, so again this is settling up but hopefully in an exciting way : )**

 **Did you guys know that the name Tallulah actually means 'Leaping/Jumping Water'? That's why I called her that : )**

 **Please let me know what you guys think of her, and before somebody asks, yes Misty is going to get a nasty rival, and so is Ash. But they can't all be mean, so Tallulah is one of the nice ones : )**

 **Anyway, I said there were some things I wanted your opinions on and there is : )**

 **First of all - and this was something that came up in a review - do you guys want me to write new gyms as well as the canon gyms in the Hoenn region? Remember in the first season, Gary received ten gym badges whilst in Kanto, and he never got the Earth Badge, implying there are more then just eight gyms in a region.**

 **So do people want me to include new gym leaders for Ash to face? Just because he only needs eight badges to enter the Hoenn league doesn't mean he necessarily has to stop at eight, right?**

 **And secondly - what should I do about Max? I've never made it a secret that I do not like Max much as a character. In fact, I find him rather annoying, and a few people mentioned in reviews that they don't want him to join the group in this story. So I thought the best thing to do would be to put it to you guys, since I don't want my feelings on the character clouding my judgement. Should Max join Ash, May, Misty and Brock on their journey or not? I'll go with the majority of comments about this.**

 **So if you want your opinions heard on these topics, please leave a review telling me them, as insight from the reader is always helpful : )**

 **And now it's time to play the game : )**

 **Firstly - congratulations to OmniDragon10, Stallion6 of Deviantart, Lugiaman14, UltimateCCC, Pokemon Trainer Tom, Disruptor, Deant33, Teddi 8347, Infernoinside, Queenspeller67, Cruzcartoon, Breakawayfan, SPeCTeR-117, Kurakuma, Sesshoru, Mewmaster89, FireEmblemMaster101, Pokesean, Midnightstorm022, Yugi the Godfather of Games, Jeet Granger, Chrono Phoenix, RHatch89, Magic135, AtomicGeneral25, Ragedrock, Reppad98, Reader2001, Pokemon Fan, Mighty Ranger 1, NarutoMagi17, JMW, PokeshipperByHeart, Blarg7865, Guest 16, Siggimondo, Reptil, Gentle Blossom, Kitsunelover300, Guest, and Marylopez0812 - the correct answer was indeed Mime Jr.**

 **Better luck next time to Tropicallight who thought it was Togepi, LovingGinger 30 who thought it was Smoochum, Jamesharold13 who thought it was Persian, and JuptileNamudori253 who thought it was Wynaut.**

 **WHO'S THAT POKEMON?**

 **This pokemon has feelers on its ears that can tell how a person is feeling or when an egg is close to hatching. It does not evolve nor has it evolved but it does have a Mega-Evolution. It has a 50% chance of holding an Oran Berry or a 5% chance of a Sitrus Berry in the games.**

 **And there we go : )**

 **I hope that you all liked this chapter, and please remember to leave a review telling me your thoughts on those subjects I mentioned : )**

 **Until the next time, keep on reading : )**


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